


Where Do I Begin

by Reia (R314)



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Complete, Divorce, F/M, Family, Humor, Reconciliation, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-04 09:40:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 54,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10273952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/R314/pseuds/Reia
Summary: How long does it last?Can love be measured by the hours in a day?I have no answers now but this much I can sayI know I'll need her till the stars all burn awayAnd she'll be there





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Update** How fun! This was nominated for the Gochi Awards Son Family category! Check out this neat badge created by [jadefyre!](http://archiveofourown.org/users/musicofthespheres/pseuds/musicofthespheres)  
>   
> ---  
  
Her day had started off _so well,_ considering.

 

The big catering gig that Bulma hired her for at one of Capsule Corporation’s satellite offices had gone off without a hitch. After a long stint as a housewife, Chi-Chi welcomed the challenge of running her own business.

 

Bulma was an early investor in _IChiGo_ _Catering._ Chi-Chi, in order to prove her abilities, spent an entire week feeding Bulma’s family as well as the entire research ward of Capsule Corporation their lunches. Bulma had been so impressed at how much Chi-Chi accomplished alongside Bulma’s mother Panchy (who’d volunteered to be an assistant), that she’d immediately written a check right after.

 

Chi-Chi had gotten a round of business cards out of _this_ event, and had been happily thinking about her good work when she saw a familiar dark figure out of the corner of her eye.

 

It shouldn’t be an odd sight to see Bulma’s husband out and about on Capsule Corp property; he was a board member, after all. However, he was notoriously private and loathed social functions. Vegeta was nothing but deliberate with his actions, so spotting him in public was _not_ a good sign.

 

Worse still, he was making a beeline toward her.

 

“Mountain girl,” he said, the most he could muster as polite greeting.

 

It didn’t matter she was as 37-year-old divorcee with two kids, she was always going to be ‘mountain girl’ to him.

 

“What’s going on? Goten—”

 

He lifted his hand. “Your spawn is fine, but at the hospital.”

 

Chi-Chi’s stomach dropped, her blood running cold. “ _Fine?!_ How can he be fine and at the hospital at the same time? What happened?”

 

He grimaced at her high pitch, plugging an ear with his hand. “Dende’s balls. That’s why I said he was fine _first._ He fell while playing with Trunks, broke his arm, that’s all. Your man’s already with him.”

 

Chi-Chi started, disconcerted by the news, and also extremely annoyed at Vegeta’s casual label of her very much _ex-_ husband.

 

_Goku_ was already there? Why the hell didn’t her ex _call her first?!_ She whipped out her cell, frantically trying to figure out how she was going to clean up—she still had to wrap up the catering job!—scream at Goku, while also trying to immediately figure out the fastest way to Wukong Hospital.

 

“Look, this is getting fucking old,” Vegeta ground out impatiently, already walking away toward a confused looking Bulma on the other side of the hall. “This is the _last_ time I’m playing messenger between you and that idiot.”

 

She signaled her catering staff over and quickly relayed that she had a family emergency, apologizing that she couldn’t help with the clean up at this time. She bolted toward the exit, waving to catch Bulma’s gaze who gave her a shoo-ing motion—Vegeta was already by her side and probably conveyed the situation already.

 

She frantically plugged her phone into her car charger, pressing the speed dial and speaker at the same time so she could focus on getting to the hospital without also killing herself in the process.

 

“Chi-Chi, he’s fine,” Goku opened immediately, not even bothering with niceties.

 

“Why the _hell_ didn’t you phone me? You were supposed to be _watching_ them! How could this happen?!” All the words came in rapid succession, her voice raising in pitch as her panic grew.

 

“You had that big catering gig!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t want to bother you—”

 

“Are you _kidding me?!_ My baby’s hurt, who the hell cares about this gig?” Chi-Chi shouted.

 

“Chi-Chi… _Cheech_.” He lowered his voice, the way he normally did when he had tried to calm her in the past. “Breathe. Please. He’s fine. Everything’s fine. Goten thinks the cast makes him look like a bad-ass.”

 

At that last line, she gave a watery laugh, despite herself. Of course, her brave, little boy…

 

“He’s good. I’ll tell you how it all happened, okay? Get here soon.” His voice was gentle and soothing, and dammit if it wasn’t working.

 

“Okay, okay. Sorry for screaming,” Chi-Chi added. It had taken a long while and a little bit of therapy, but she was _trying_ to be more civil toward her ex.

 

“All good. See ya soon, sweetie,” he said cheerfully, disconnecting before she could get another word in.

 

She blinked rapidly at the casually thrown out endearment.

 

Habit, she told herself. Not a big deal.

 

She narrowed her eyes, focusing on the road. Her baby needed her.

 

.

.

.

 

Her baby did _not_ need her.

 

In fact, he was actively pushing her away with his free arm when she rushed to gather him in a relieved embrace. Despite the cast, he _did_ look perfectly healthy.

 

“ _Mom,_ ” Goten exclaimed. “I’m okay.”

 

A small chuckle went over her head. “See?”

 

Chi-Chi turned to take good look at her ex, who’d been hovering just behind her shoulder. His warm, dark eyes crinkled in amusement as he ran his hand through his hair, putting it in further disarray. He looked adorably disheveled. Heat rose in her cheeks and she crossed her arms—as if the gesture could act like physical protection from his handsome visage.

 

“Wipe that grin off your face,” she said sharply, perhaps more harshly than she intended. She was a bit embarrassed that still, after _all_ this time, she found the man exceedingly attractive. She pointed at her boy. “Explain this.”

 

“Mom, it’s not dad’s fault, it’s my fault,” Goten said immediately, alarm in his tone. His doe-like eyes, so much like his father, bounced between his parents. Chi-Chi twinged at the guilt in Goten’s expression. She knew he’d wrongly blamed himself for his parents separation.

 

She glanced at Goten, then back at her ex whose lips had dipped at their son’s pleading tone. She sighed and nodded her head toward the exit. She wasn’t going to have an argument in front of her kid.

 

“Let’s talk outside.”

 

“Don’t worry, kiddo,” Goku said, leaning over briefly to kiss him on the top of his head. “We’re going to be right outside your door.”

 

“Mom, really, it’s my fault,” Goten repeated. Chi-Chi nodded placatingly.

 

“Okay, okay, I just want to get the details from your father. Be back in a sec,” she said, also leaning over to kiss the top of his head.

 

Once outside, the door firmly closed, Chi-Chi rubbed her eyebrow tiredly. “Kami help me.”

 

“It was just a fluke accident,” Goku said, rubbing the back of his neck. Chi-Chi noticed he seemed a little worn, too. She realized that while she had been out of her mind with worry, that despite appearances, Goku probably had been beside himself, too. She knew how much he _hated_ hospitals, so even the journey probably had taken a toll. He always tried to mask his feelings in front of their kids, only ever dropping the facade with her.

 

“What happened?”

 

“You know, Trunks was over?” he angled his gaze, at if carefully gauging her reaction.

 

She nodded, urging him to go on.

 

“I was watching them chase each other around the yard, practicing their katas, normal stuff,” Goku explained. “All of a sudden, Goten was going full speed at Trunks, who moved aside to avoid him. I think Goten tripped over his feet, and then...” he shrugged. “He fell pretty badly on the short, stone retaining wall… the one by the raspberry bushes?”

 

Chi-Chi closed her eyes briefly, then met Goku’s, then nodded.

 

Goku waved his hand. “A freak accident. I noticed something was wrong right away, took him to emergency. I… I’m sorry.”

 

At that last statement, Chi-Chi furrowed her brows. “Sorry for what? Like you said, it was a freak accident. There’s nothing to be sorry about.”

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t call you sooner,” he clarified.

 

Ah.

 

“No job is worth prioritizing over my family,” Chi-Chi stated bluntly. Goku flinched, as if struck.

 

It only took a moment for Chi-Chi to realize how loaded her statement was, considering the reasons their marriage dissolved. She shifted uncomfortably on her feet. This was supposed to be water under the bridge. They’d been divorced _seven_ years. Why was this still awkward?

 

She schooled her features to be neutral.

 

Goku sighed, ignoring her statement. “The doctors said that this was just a small fracture, something that’s common in children. So he doesn’t even need medication besides Children’s Tylenol, which we both already have at home, and for him not to jostle his arm so much. We can go whenever we want. But I wanted to wait until you got here to give the go-ahead.”

 

“I appreciate that, Goku,” Chi-Chi said, touched that he wanted her approval before making a decision about their child’s health. “I had a fracture when I was kid, and this sounds about right. If the doctors think we’re good to go, I think we can leave. When does he get the cast off?”

 

“We have an appointment in a couple weeks for a check-up and then the doctor will decide then. I added it to our shared family calendar.”

 

Chi-Chi reviewed her smartphone’s calendar and saw the appointment pop up. “Okay, that’s good to know. I’ll have to move a few appointments but I think that works.”

 

“And I can still have the kids for the rest of the weekend?”

 

It _was_ Goku’s turn, there was no reason for him to _not_ have the kids and the entire drama was all just an accident.

 

“Yes, of course.”

 

He flashed her a brilliant smile, causing Chi-Chi’s heart to flutter. This man was a walking charm assault. It was unfair!

 

“Thanks, Chi!” Without warning, he bent down and kissed her cheek.

 

Her startled eyes flew up, her hand rising unbidden to her face. He’d already straightened and turned, not catching her gaze as he was already turning to go back to Goten’s room.

 

She gaped mutely at the door as she heard her ex call: “C’mon kiddo, let’s go home!”

.

.

.

 

What a day, Chi-Chi thought to herself, as she readied for bed. It had been an unexpected rollercoaster, with the highs of her professional success, the fright from her son’s injury, and then the confusing signals she was getting— _imagining?_ —from her ex. True, they were more friendly _now_ than they’d ever been since the separation, and she was driving herself nuts trying to figure out not whether the signals were real, but also why she should even _care._

 

She was _not_ interested in a reconciliation! The reasons for ending their relationship had not changed.

 

As she towel-dried her hair with one hand, Chi-Chi heard a text notification ping her from her nightstand. Curiously, she leaned over to look at what it was.

 

Goku had sent taken a selfie with their boys sprawled on him dead asleep. It was made all the more sweet since Gohan was already a full-blown teen and would probably be mortified that this was being recorded. He’d been out all day with friends from school so had avoided all the drama from earlier, but now had his younger brother curled in his arms.

 

As for Goku, his eyes had a dancing quality, his finger on his lips as if saying, “Shhh.”

 

Chi-Chi felt her heart begin to race.

 

Maybe she was just feeling melancholy and emotional... but without another thought, Chi-Chi sent Goku a solitary heart emoji.

 

Almost immediately after she did so, she panicked. That wasn’t… she hadn’t meant to… She suddenly saw three dots ominously flash on her screen, showing that Goku was texting her pretty quickly afterward. She racked her tired brain to think of something, _anything_ , to make sure he didn’t misinterpret the small message.

 

It was harmless, right? He wouldn’t think anything of it?

 

Then just as suddenly as the three dots that signaled texting showed up, it disappeared.

 

Chi-Chi stared at her damn phone, waiting to see if a text would come through. After a few moments, she cursed her own stupidity and roughly shoved her smartphone into its charger. She was a grown woman, for god’s sake. It was just an emoji, it wasn’t a big deal.

 

As she closed her eyes, her mind drifted to cool nights and strong, warm arms.

 


	2. Chapter 2

On Sunday, Chi-Chi pulled her SUV up the familiar drive way. She remembered years ago being surprised that Goku had found a small bungalow just ten minutes from their original house. For some reason, she thought he’d be content with a small apartment to live it up in the city.

 

Still, she was happy that he’d chosen a place not too inconvenient for her to drive to and that the boys did seem to like the sprawling yard and separate rooms. She wasn’t sure where Goku got the money to afford such a thing after splitting their finances, but she supposed the government owed him a lot for his service. All in all, it was none of her business.

 

The door opened before Chi-Chi had a chance to knock and she had to swallow a gasp, as she was met with the sweaty, shirtless torso of her ex. Speaking of shirt, it seemed to be haphazardly tied around his head like some sort of twisted turban-helmet combo.

 

“Heya, Chi!” Goku greeted, completely oblivious to how his state of undress was affecting her. It had been literal _years_ since she’d seen his gleaming body in a similar state, though if she was honest with herself, she didn’t really need to. The images were burned in her brain probably for eternity.

 

“I saw you pull up from the yard.” He moved aside to let her in, and waved absentmindedly at his figure, anticipating her question. “The boys and I are just planting some vegetables in the garden.”

 

She wandered through his hallways until she reached his back patio. Gohan and Goten seemed completely engrossed in the dirt digging, completely ignoring her presence.

 

She hadn’t realized how close Goku was standing, until she bumped her shoulder against that broad chest of his. He didn’t move, simply looked down with an apologetic look. “Sorry, we lost track of time, or else I would have tried to wrap this up sooner. And they’ll both need showers after this.”

 

“ _You_ need a shower,” Chi-Chi said, feigning disgust as she pinched her nose. Truthfully, he smelled wonderful; a mixture of earth and grass and something uniquely Goku. He laughed easily, and shrugged.

 

She stepped forward and cleared her throat theatrically, causing both Gohan and Goten to raise their head. Their faces dropped.

 

“Hi, mom.”

 

Chi-Chi rolled her eyes. “Gee, thanks for the enthusiastic welcome.”

 

“We’re planting lettuce!” Goten chirped happily, head to toe in dirt. It was a little ridiculous looking, especially with one arm in a sling that had a clear plastic bag tied over it to protect it from all the activities. Gohan was a little less worse for wear, manning the shovel.

 

“Did your dad remember to put sunscreen on you?”

 

“Yes, mom,” all the boys, including Goku, echoed in the same tone.

 

“Well, time to wash up and go home,” Chi-Chi said, with an arm wave.

 

“Awwwwww, _mom._ ” Goten’s face crumbled, looking like he was going to pitch a full-blown tantrum, when Goku swooped in and scooped him up like a weightless sack of potatoes. His muscles rippled at the movement, and Chi-Chi had to avert her gaze quickly lest she stare.

 

“You heard your mom,” Goku said merrily, as he swung the child around over his shoulder. Goten squealed in delight, enjoying his father’s gentle rough-housing. “Time to clean up.”

 

Gohan, ever the dutiful son, began to clean up the area and glanced at his mother ruefully. “I would hug you hello but as you can see...”

 

Chi-Chi grabbed his head and kissed his temple. “There’s a clean spot.”

 

“ _Mom._ ” Gohan was grumbling but he’d flashed her a small smile. Regardless of his age, Chi-Chi thought, he was always going to be her little Gohan.

 

“How’s your brother’s arm?” Chi-Chi asked her eldest, while trailing behind Goku and Goten who was giggling in his arms.

 

“Okay. He was getting super bored since Dad didn’t let him work on the garden at first, since he didn’t want to his arm to to get worse. Then Goten started whining so much I googled to see how to make it work. Hence, the plastic bag.”

 

Chi-Chi chuckled. “Like father, like son. They’re both master whiners.”

 

Suddenly, there was a peal of discontent. “I can do it myself!”

 

Chi-Chi rolled her eyes. “And there’s one now.”

 

“Hey, dummy, your arm is broken, you have to shower differently. You need help still,” Gohan sniped as poked his head into the bathroom. Chi-Chi also poked her head in and saw her youngest was half-in and half-out of his t-shirt. Goku looked like he was struggling not to burst out laughing.

 

Unexpectedly, Chi-Chi felt her chest twinge at the entire scene in front of her. Soon, this idyllic interaction will be gone, and she would go back with her kids to a separate house, and sleep in a separate bed. It had been a while since she had this shot of sad nostalgia.

 

“Chi-Chi?”

 

He tilted his head curiously.

 

She started out of her reverie, assessing the scene in front of her and she waved him off. “Go. I’ll deal with this.”

 

“I’m going to use dad’s shower,” Gohan declared and left the room.

 

“I don’t need help!” Goten protested.

 

“Baby, it’s just to make sure you don’t get your cast and arm dirty while it’s healing,” Chi-Chi said soothingly. Goten struck his bottom lip out, the gesture so similar to his father, and it was exactly equal parts annoying and adorable.

 

“I’m not a baby,” he mumbled, but allowed Chi-Chi to help him out of his shirt.

 

“You sure you got this?” Goku asked quietly, an odd expression on his face. “I mean, technically, I should have already gotten them clean by now.”

 

“Yeah, you should have,” Chi-Chi said dryly. “But it’s fine. It’s not like I have anything to rush home to.”

 

He seemed satisfied with her answer, maybe even strangely happy, since he flashed her another one of his brilliant smiles. “Okay, great! I’m just going to be in the yard to clean up a bit then I’ll be right back.”

 

As Chi-Chi helped her youngest clean up, she noticed how orderly everything looked. She remembered that the house used to look like utter chaos the few times she’d visited… not that she lingered very long except to pick up her kids, but she’d been unimpressed with all the mess. She’d bitten her tongue several times, telling herself it’s not up to her to nag Goku to clean up after himself.

 

He parented his way, she parented her way.

 

But even though she’d only swept past the house to go straight to the yard and was now in the bathroom, her keen preference for order and cleanliness seemed to have been acknowledged.

 

Goten was finally clean, and Chi-Chi was toweling him dry when she noticed that he hadn’t brought his clean clothes in the bath. “Baby, where’s your clothes?”

 

“My room.”

 

Chi-Chi nodded, telling him she’d be back in a second.

 

When she exited the bathroom, she realized she had no idea where his room was. This was probably the longest she’d ever been in Goku’s house. She looked around, saw some doors ajar that seemed much too large for a little boy. So, door number three then, Chi-Chi thought. That must be Goten’s…

 

But when she opened the door wide, she came face to face with her husband—ex! Ex-husband!

 

In the nude!

 

Chi-Chi shrieked in surprise, her hands flying to her eyes. “What are you doing?!”

 

“What am _I_ doing? You didn’t even knock!” Goku exclaimed, his hands going to his hips, which only emphasized how starkers he was.

 

“Why are you getting changed in Goten’s room?” Chi-Chi wanted the ground to swallow her whole.

 

“Goten’s room? This is _my_ room,” Goku exclaimed.

 

“This is a _child’s_ room,” Chi-Chi insisted, peeking between her fingers to verify that she wasn’t going insane. It was a sparse room, with one double bed in the middle. She peeked again and noticed that Goku was now scratching his head in confusion, _still_ completely naked as the day he was born.

 

Goku laughed, realization dawning. “Oh well, maybe it could be. You were thinking I took the master? That’s Gohan’s room. He’s a teenager. He needs the space,” he explained as if that actually explained anything. “Goten’s is across the hall.”

 

“Can you… can you please put something on?” Chi-Chi said, waving vaguely at his direction, her eyes still closed.

 

“Hm? Why? It’s nothing you haven’t seen before.”

 

“For god’s sake, Goku!” Chi-Chi exclaimed in frustration, dropping her hand, her eyes flying open at the same time. She let out a little eep, realizing her moment of pique gave her another eyeful, and Goku just laughed. This time, she kept her eyes straight ahead while her face flamed, and he lifted a brow as if _daring_ her to cover her face again.

 

“Is there something else?” he asked expectantly, his mouth twitching and dammit… she couldn’t find that _sexy_ too, did she? He was so infuriating!

 

It was then she realized she had absolutely _no_ reason to dawdle in Goku’s room once she realized Goten’s clothes weren’t there. She nearly flew out of the room—promptly running into her eldest child.

 

“Mom? What’re you doing in dad’s room?” Gohan asked, as the door was still slightly ajar. Chi-Chi clearly saw that Goku was _just_ shrugging on his boxers. _Dende, his backside was ama_ —She reached behind and slammed the door shut.

 

“Just a little lost,” Chi-Chi squeaked out. “Thought that was Goten’s.”

 

“ _Moooommm, I’m dry now…! Where are you?!”_

 

“See?” Chi-Chi waved vaguely in the direction of the hallway bath. “I just need to grab Goten’s clothes.”

 

Gohan lifted his brows but silently pointed to Goten’s door just across the way.

 

When she found what she needed finally, she went straight back to the bathroom, studiously ignoring the still-closed door to Goku’s room.


	3. Chapter 3

Chi-Chi did _not_ appreciate the howling laughter coming out of the blue-haired heiress.

 

She’d come by to pick up the check for the successful gig over the weekend and to do a kitchen and menu consult for one of the corporate restaurants in yet another Capsule Corp building. In the middle of their tasting / lunch date, she relayed her side of weekend since Bulma had only gotten the gist from Vegeta and Trunks, who irrationally felt guilty for Goten’s injury.

 

Once Chi-Chi assured a worried Bulma that Trunks had nothing to do with it, that everything was just a freak accident, did she relay the foolish comedy of errors that led to an eyeful of her ex.

 

“That sounds like Goku, all right,” Bulma was all but guffawing, causing some patrons to eye them curiously. Chi-Chi waved her hand to shush the woman.

 

“It was an honest mistake, okay?” Chi-Chi huffed.

 

“He always did like to prance around in his birthday suit,” Bulma said, wiping her eye. Chi-Chi’s ire spiked. How would _Bulma_ know? As if reading her mind, Bulma broke into another peal of giggles.

 

“Oh, my Dende, you should see your face right now,” Bulma went on. “I used to _babysit_ him, for god’s sake. You know that.”

 

Chi-Chi flushed in embarrassment. She knew that Bulma had known Goku since they were children, that there was nothing but sibling love between the two. Still, she’d always been irrationally jealous of Bulma and Goku’s closeness, an easy trust and comfort that she’d always yearned to have with him.

 

Chi-Chi had also met Goku briefly when they were children, and then he’d moved away. They’d reunited in high school and she was embarrassed to recall how much she had pestered him back then. She’d been relentless! So fearless, she thought with a rueful smile.

 

Sometimes, it felt like she had been chasing him all her life, before _and_ after their marriage.

 

One day, she was too tired to try.

 

Bulma leaned forward, propping her chin with her hands. “So… were the goods still as nice as you remembered them?”

 

Chi-Chi’s jaw dropped, her face burning to the point she felt she might permanently turn into a tomato. “I don’t know why I told you any of this.”

 

Bulma rolled her eyes. “Come on, you’re divorced, not _dead_. And from what you’ve told me, this is the first naked man you’ve seen, in what… at least a year?”

 

…seven, Chi-Chi thought silently. She said nothing, stewing in her embarrassment, and poked at her lunch angrily.

 

“Oh, don’t be like that, I’m just teasing,” Bulma said sighing, as she leaned back in the booth. “But seriously, you mean to tell me that you never had post-break up sex with him?”

 

Chi-Chi gaped at her friend. “No!”

 

Bulma lifted a shoulder. “Eh, Vegeta and I did all the time. You know, before things settled down.”

 

Chi-Chi did know. At one point, she thought Bulma’s fate was going to mirror hers. Bulma had even gotten as far as a formal separation, but Bulma and Vegeta always somehow found their way back to each other, without much fanfare.

 

“When it was _over_ , it was over,” Chi-Chi said firmly, then her expression faltered. It had only been a split second memory that flashed, but Bulma was shrewd, possibly the most observant woman on the planet, because she pointed at her face almost accusingly.

 

“Nope. I caught that. C’mon, spill,” Bulma urged with a wide grin.

 

Chi-Chi shook her head ruefully but decided that Bulma wasn’t going to let up. “Trunks’ birthday party, a… um, couple years ago or so? You know, the one where you hired that weird magician?”

 

Bulma rubbed her chin and smiled fondly. “Yeah it was a theme party. Kids party during the day, adult party at night.”

 

Yes, they were all supposed to sleep over at the giant compound, and there were enough nannies on staff that once the kids had their fill during the day, the adults did have a chance to let loose in the evening. The whole gang had been there, which was rare considering how busy everyone’s lives were.

 

“There really isn’t much to tell,” Chi-Chi said, squirming in her seat. Bulma quirked a brow.

 

“I think you just spoke volumes. I _do_ remember you had an entire bottle of wine to yourself,” Bulma added to which Chi-Chi groaned in regret.

 

She shrugged. “Yes, well. I did. I was kinda drunk. And um, Goku was there...”

 

Bulma frowned. “He didn’t—”

 

Chi-Chi shook her head rapidly, her face flaming. She didn’t know it was possible to get more embarrassed, but there she was… “No, no. He’s insensitive, not _criminal_. He was trying to help me get to my room to sleep it off. He was… worried about me.”

 

Bulma’s expression eased. “Okay, _that_ sounds about right. So, what happened?”

 

“I, um… I uh...” Chi-Chi took a deep breath. “I don’t remember all of it, but I remember…” _I remember pushing him onto the bed…_

 

“We made out a little,” Chi-Chi said out loud, touching her burning cheeks at the recollection. “And that was that. He’s never brought it up. I pretended nothing happened. The end.”

 

Bulma’s brows rose to her hairline. “So… you’re telling me… that in _seven_ years, you guys made out _one_ time while you were drunk?”

 

Chi-Chi nodded and shrugged. “Yep.”

 

Bulma looked down at Chi-Chi’s lap and back to her face. “Does that thing work any more?”

 

“Bulma Briefs!”

 

“Even if it wasn’t with Goku, _please_ tell me you’ve gotten laid at least once during this entire breakup.” Her tone was deadpan.

 

Chi-Chi was absolutely scandalized and said nothing.

 

“Are you _kidding me?”_ Bulma breathed in disbelief. “You’ve been living like a goddamn nun this whole time?”

 

“It’s not like I haven’t tried!” Chi-Chi exclaimed hotly. She did. She had. It was just an exercise in futility and humiliation. The men were perfectly nice but did nothing for her. “I’ve been on dates, you know.”

 

“Oh, god, Cheech.”

 

“It’s fine, I have my business and my boys. My life is full. What more do I need?” Chi-Chi countered.

 

“Vibrators don’t keep you warm at night.”

 

Chi-Chi looked to the heavens. “I knew I shouldn’t have said anything.”

 

Bulma sighed heavily. “Sorry. I don’t mean to judge. No, seriously. Don’t give me that look. I just want you to be happy, that’s all. It’s hard to imagine you not wanting someone by your side, help you with your boys—”

 

“Goku does help,” Chi-Chi added a tad defensively. “He’s been pretty good these past couple years with it, actually.”

 

Bulma raised her hands, as if saying peace. “Of course he does. They’re his children, too. I meant, day to day. Don’t you want to have a partner to come home to?”

 

Chi-Chi lowered her eyes. Since she was a little girl, she’d wanted a family of her own, _including_ a husband she could rely on. She felt Bulma reach out and touch her hand.

 

“It’s okay to still want that, you know,” the heiress said softly. “Maybe it can’t be with Goku, who knows, but you shouldn’t give up hope. He’s your first love. It’s hard to move on from that, but that doesn’t have to mean he’s your last.”

 

Chi-Chi eyed Bulma curiously, staring at her doubtfully. “That’s kinda odd coming from you. I thought…” she trailed off.

 

Bulma smirked. “What? That I want you two crazy kids to get back together? It’s not a secret! Sure, that’d be great—but only if it was right for _both_ of you. It’s a damn shame someone as sweet and beautiful and talented as you keeps herself locked up.”

 

“I don’t lock myself up! I’m busy _all the time—”_

 

“I don’t mean literally. I mean in there,” Bulma said, pointing at Chi-Chi’s chest. “You’re putting yourself out there, but not really. You can’t have love unless you’re willing to risk the hurt again.”

 

“Can we talk about the canapes now, please?” Chi-Chi said suddenly.

 

Bulma laughed at the abrupt change of subject. “All right, all right. Dr. Briefs is now out of session. I was partial to the salmon one...”

 

After her day of work, she went and picked up her kids from school and went through the regular routine of “mom.” It came so natural to her, that she went almost on autopilot, asking about their days, forcing faux-reluctant cuddles from her boys, cooking them a nice dinner… she was incredibly happy running the catering business, but her family would always be her number one priority, her most favorite of all her “jobs.”

 

It was only when they were all settled for the night that Chi-Chi was once again forced to confront the empty bed in her room. Bulma was right. She _did_ want a partner to come home to. While it was hard for her to think of anyone but _Goku_ by her side, reality had other plans.

 

She picked up her cell phone and looked at her texts. She hadn’t messaged Goku and he hadn’t messaged her back since “the emoji incident” — so she was confronted with his stupidly handsome mug and that irritatingly large heart emoji that followed right after.

 

For the first time in a _long_ time, Chi-Chi cried herself to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The week was incredibly slow going. Chi-Chi worked mechanically, everything working perfectly as planned for the week’s schedule, but she felt oddly hollow inside. Nothing had changed, not really, but her conversation with Bulma really rattled her.

 

Goten, who was more perceptive than she had given him credit for, gave her _extra_ hugs and kisses. He couldn’t quite articulate his worry as it was too much for him to really comprehend, only that his mother needed a bit more affection.

 

She was more than happy to lend Gohan her car for the weekend, not only because he wanted to visit Videl in Satan City to finish his assignment, but it gave a perfectly legitimate excuse for her not to see her ex.

 

The image of his chiseled body continued to flash in her mind at intermittent times, and she just didn’t want to deal with the real-life figure lest she say or do something to embarrass herself.

  
She’d done enough self-inflicted harm in that arena.

 

Fortunately, nothing of note passed the next few days, and soon Chi-Chi was back to completely focusing on her catering business and forgetting about silly naked exes and lonely nights.

 

It was an early Thursday evening when Chi-Chi was at the doctor, Goten on her lap. Soon he’d be too big for such cuddles, but she was going to take what she could get while he was receptive to it. She’d already been acknowledged by the receptionist so was just waiting to be called when Goku came into the room, looking a tad breathless, like he’d sprinted to the appointment.

 

She saw several women’s heads turn at the commotion, but their gazes _stayed_ for obvious reasons. He was wearing a white button down shirt tucked in dark tailored pants, looking like he’d just burst out of a magazine. The two top buttons were undone, exposing a delicious column of his throat. His sleeves were pushed up, revealing taut forearms as he scribbled his name down into the sign-in sheet.

 

Chi-Chi found her face grow warm. She was so used to seeing him _casual_ , since she only ever saw him when she’d dropped off her kids for the weekend. Even when they were married, she’d _rarely_ seen him in any business casual attire, but as this was a weekday, it made sense to see him more formal looking than normal.

 

She didn’t realize she had been bracing herself—for what, she didn’t know—until he’d turned and flashed her a grin of welcome, waving to her before walking over. She relaxed slightly but was flooded with confusion at her own reaction.

 

“Sorry I’m late,” Goku said, bending to lift Goten up from her lap. “Hey kiddo.”

 

Goten giggled. “Hi, Dad!”

 

“Hey, how’ve you been?” Goku asked, as he settled on the seat beside her. He tilted his head, his expression nothing but open and curious.

 

“Good,” Chi-Chi squeaked. She cleared her throat, mortified, coughing slightly. “Good, I’m good.”

 

An elderly lady off to the side leaned forward and said, “You are a _lovely_ family.”

 

“Gets his looks from his dad, right?” Goku said easily, winking at the lady. The woman blushed and tittered delightfully.

 

“Your wife is _very_ lucky,” the old lady went on pleasantly, nodding toward Chi-Chi.

 

“Oh, she’s not my wife,” Goku said, still that cheerful grin on his face.

 

At that, all the ladies in the room who’d been discreetly eyeing him were now openly gaping.

 

Chi-Chi felt mildly humiliated. The tips of her ears burned and she blinked rapidly, forcing herself not to react beyond flashing a calm, bland smile. She realized that was possibly the first time in seven years Goku made the correction instead of her.

 

She had no right to be upset about it.

 

It was the truth after all.

 

“Son Goten?” a nurse called out.

 

“That’s us. C’mon kiddo,” Goku said in the same pleasant tone, lifting Goten onto his hip. He went ahead with nary a look back, the optics of it looking like she was trailing after him.

 

Her jaw was beginning to ache from the smile she was forcing through her lips.

 

“Why hello, there Goten!”

 

A raven-haired vision in a lab coat greeted them, arms stretched.

 

“Dr. Chow!” Goten squealed and ran into the woman’s arms. The doctor gave Goten a squeeze before standing.

 

“Hello, Goku,” she said with a smile that Chi-Chi could only infuriatingly gather was flirtatious. She saw him flash his patented thousand-watt grin. If steam could rise from her head, Chi-Chi was sure she resembled a locomotive.

 

“I’m Chi-Chi,” she interrupted, sticking her hand out, breaking the prolonged eye contact between her ex and the doctor.

 

“Oh, yes, you must be Goten’s mom,” the doctor said with a pleasant smile, shaking her hand firmly.

 

“We’re very busy, so if you could please examine my son’s arm?” Chi-Chi prodded tightly.

 

“Don’t be rude, Chi-Chi,” Goku said, angling her a disappointed look. “If you have to go somewhere, I can stay here until Dr. Chow is finished with the exam and I’ll drop him off after.”

 

She was about to say something in defense when she saw her son settled on the examining table and Dr. Chow taking out her stethoscope. She took a calming breath. Breathe. She was an adult. He wasn’t doing anything out of bounds. It was _not_ a big deal…

 

As the exam went on, Chi-Chi had to acknowledge that Dr. Chow had an incredibly friendly bedside manner. Goten was put completely at ease, and she answered all of her questions thoroughly, assuaging her concerns about Goten’s recovery and next steps.

 

A quick x-ray would confirm the bone setting nicely, so they agreed that it was time to take the cast off, but for Goten to wear a sling for another week and to take it easy.

 

By the time it was all said and done, Chi-Chi’s brief flash of irrational jealousy was gone and replaced with gratefulness at the doctor’s professionalism and care.

 

“Thank you so much, Dr. Chow,” Chi-Chi said with a genuine smile.

 

“No, thank _you._ You raised such a lovely boy,” the doctor said easily.

 

“Does this mean I can play video games again?” Goten asked, causing everyone to laugh.

 

As they made their way to the clinic’s exit, the receptionist waved Goku down.

 

“Oh, Mr. Son. I need you to sign something,” the young woman said. He looked at Chi-Chi, gesturing her to wait, so she held Goten’s hand and watched Goku scribble on the desk before half jogging back to them.

 

“That’s odd, usually they only need one parent’s signature,” Chi-Chi said as Goku held the door open for them.

 

“She said something about an emergency contact number for their records,” Goku explained as they headed to the parkade.

 

Chi-Chi frowned. That was odd. His number should already be added to their kids’ files, a quick look would—

 

By the time they reached her car, Chi-Chi realized that receptionist just wanted to flirt with him and get _his number!_ And he _gave_ it to her!

 

For god’s sake the girl looked to be in her early _twenties!_

 

“All right, this is where I say good-bye,” Goku said but was looking directly at Goten. He crouched, opening his arms up for his youngest. Goten launched himself at Goku. “Whoa, kiddo, you still need to be careful with that arm. Remember to put on lotion!”

 

“Bye dad! See you tomorrow!” Goten said.

 

“See ya,” Goku said, then finally met her gaze. “You too?”

 

“Hm? What?” Chi-Chi said startled. She’d been a small daze, just thinking about the past hour and the idea of Goku dating.

 

“Tomorrow,” he clarified, looking at her oddly. “Will I see you tomorrow? Or will Gohan…?”

 

“No, no, I need the car for the weekend,” she said.

 

“Oh? Big plans?” he asked, his expression one of bland interest, the kind you give in polite company during a cocktail party.

 

If big plans included grocery and going to the gym for the first time in weeks, it was _huge_ plans.

 

“Yep, yep...” She trailed off, her smile turning tremulous.

  
This was torturous.

 

“Okay, bye,” Chi-Chi said abruptly, turning to Goten to help fasten his seatbelt. When she snuck a look back, he was already gone.


	5. Chapter 5

As Chi-Chi put on her second coat of mascara, she told herself that she simply needed to get back into the habit of taking care of herself. Unlike the last time she put on makeup, she didn’t rush this application, careful to make sure she didn’t over do it.

 

She put on a stylish oversized red top that revealed a shoulder, dark black jeans that seemed painted on but were really quite comfortable. Sensible, but designer, black flats (a birthday gift from Bulma) finished the look.

 

She pulled back, looking at her reflection with a satisfied smile.

 

A perfect look for a night out. Put together but didn’t scream, “I’m trying too hard.”

 

“You have plans tonight?” Gohan asked, as he walked to the living room with his weekend bag.

 

“Yep,” Chi-Chi said. Gohan lifted a brow.

 

“You’re in a good mood.”

 

“Yep,” Chi-Chi said with a wide grin.

 

“I’m ready,” Goten announced, entering the living room as well with his weekend backpack slung over his shoulder.

 

As she gathered her sons in the car, she reflected over her change of attitude from the past few days. She’d been morose with a heavy dose of self-pity. She wasn’t being the best person, let alone best mom, if she stewed in her loneliness.

 

So she decided to fake it till she made it.

 

Truthfully, she was still feeling rather unsettled, but adding a bright shot of color to her outfit and a pasted on smile led to her mood _actually_ lifting.

 

“So where are you going?” Gohan asked as they set off to their father’s.

 

“I don’t know, to the mall, maybe,” Chi-Chi said with a shrug. “Maybe dropping by your Aunt Lazuli’s… I haven’t seen her in ages.”

 

“Sounds like fun,” Gohan said idly.

 

In no time, they were at Goku’s, and Chi-Chi felt her palms begin to sweat, nerves hitting her suddenly.

 

She listened to the doorbell and footsteps pad to the entrance. She smiled as Goku opened the door.

 

“Hey guys,” Goku greeted sunnily. As usual, Goten went to hug his midriff, and Gohan nodded and got a pat on the shoulder from his dad as he entered.

 

Chi-Chi opened her mouth to pleasantly greet her ex, when she saw a flash of blonde off to the side.

 

“Hey, Chi-Chi!” a husky, feminine voice greeted.

 

Chi-Chi’s tongue felt stuck to her throat as she saw Launch appear beside Goku, leaning against his doorjamb like she owned the place. Worse, she seemed to have a spatula with sauce in one hand and a glass of whiskey in the other.

 

“I haven’t seen you in _ages_ ,” Launch said, smiling.

 

Chi-Chi felt herself go hot and cold.

 

“I see AA didn’t take.”

 

Launch simply laughed and lifted her glass in salute. “How’s it feel with that stick up your ass?”

 

“Hey, hey,” Goku broke in, his eyes bouncing between the two women, his brows furrowed. “Why are you both being so nasty to each other? We’re all friends here.”

 

“Mm, _spaghetti!_ ” Chi-Chi heard Goten exclaim in delight, and Chi-Chi felt her fists clench.

 

“I should get back to dinner,” Launch drawled, finally moving away from the door. Launch eyed Chi-Chi up and down, a look of pure mocking amusement on her face, before bumping Goku lightly with her hip.

 

“C’mon, let’s go, before food gets cold,” the blonde said, sauntering off. Chi-Chi waited until Launch was out of sight before she tugged at Goku’s shirt.

 

“I don’t want that woman near my children,” Chi-Chi hissed pointing after Launch. Goku blinked rapidly at Chi-Chi.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“She’s a _drunk_ ,” Chi-Chi said between clenched teeth. Goku narrowed his eyes at her.

 

“She’s had _one_ drink all evening and she was holding it. What’s wrong with you?”

 

Chi-Chi reared back at Goku’s reproachful tone, hurt. He only shook his head again.

 

“Bye, Chi-Chi. See you on Sunday,” he said, closing the door softly on her face.

 

.

.

.

 

“Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Lazuli said flatly, pouring Chi-Chi another glass of red wine. Chi-Chi winced at her use of profanity as she angled her gaze at Marron playing with her dolls on the floor. The three-year-old didn’t seem to mind.

 

The two friends were nursing both their wine glasses at Lazuli’s basement bar, lamenting the past hour of craziness and just catching up overall.

 

“I don’t know why Goku doesn’t see what I see.”

 

“Oh, he’s seeing _something_ ,” Lazuli intoned taking a gulp of her wine and lifting a brow.

 

Chi-Chi’s cheeks flushed. “And she’s even feeding my children. Can you believe it?”

 

“Yes, what a monster.”

 

Sarcasm dripped from her stylish friend’s mouth, Lazuli’s eyes were angled in amusement.

 

“You know what I mean,” Chi-Chi said, taking another angry gulp of wine.

 

“Eh, well, he had to move on some time,” Lazuli said shrugging, giving her a pointed look. “So do you.”

 

“But why _her?”_ Chi-Chi returned, pouting.

 

“Why does it matter? You know my brother’s still single.”

 

Chi-Chi blinked at Lazuli in disbelief. “You can _not_ be serious.”

 

Lazuli lifted an elegant shoulder, flipping her hair. “Why? Because he’s slept with half the female population in the city? Judge-y much, Chi?”

 

At Chi-Chi’s glare, Lazuli laughed.

 

“All right, all right. But seriously, he’d love to. He always thought you were hot.”

 

Chi-Chi was more than a little shocked. Lapis’ taste in women leaned toward _supermodel-types,_ just like himself. Not chubby housewives. “Yeah, right.”

 

“He told me once the only reason he’s never asked you out was ‘guy code’ or some such bullshit.”

 

“Really?” Chi-Chi was flattered but she had never looked at the playboy in that way at all. He was almost too pretty for her, too lackadaisical.

 

“Chi-Chi have you looked in the mirror? You _know_ you look good. Weren’t you your high school princess or whatever the hell you guys call it in backward mountain towns?”

 

“Yeah, well, I don’t think Lapis is really father material.”

 

“Who said anything about that? When’s the last time you had a good lay?”

 

Chi-Chi looked away, embarrassed, her conversation with Bulma echoing in her mind.

 

“ _Exactly_ ,” Lazuli said, her point proven. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, swirling the glass in her hand. “You know, maybe you should just sleep with Goku.”

 

Chi-Chi nearly choked on her wine. “What?”

 

“Why not?” Lazuli smiled into her wine glass. “Just get him out of your system. Once and for all. Maybe it won’t be as good as you remember and it’ll help you finally _move on_.”

 

“Sounds like a brilliant plan, Lazuli. Makes perfect sense,” Chi-Chi said with as much sarcasm as possible. “I see _no way_ that wouldn’t blow up in my face.”

 

“So, a date with my brother then?”

 

“I don’t know why we’re friends.”

 

Lazuli’s laughter filled the room.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

Chi-Chi squirmed in her seat as Bulma and Lazuli circled her like critical, hyper-exotic looking hawks. She was beginning to regret that this was how she was going to spend her Saturday.

 

“Nope, that’s got to go,” Bulma said, waving at her sweater.

 

“I don’t even think her pants are the right size,” Lazuli said on over her head. “It’s not even the right type of _mom jean_.”

 

Chi-Chi lifted a hand and waved. “And that’s my cue to leave. Good-bye.”

 

Lazuli lazily pushed her back into her chair, the motion having surprising force from someone so delicate looking. Chi-Chi huffed and crossed her arms.

 

“Ungrateful bitch. You _asked_ for this,” the blonde said coolly, but looked amused all the same.

 

“Exactly. I mean, do you even know us?” Bulma returned, hands on her hips.

 

After deciding she had enough wallowing in self-pity and realizing that the highlight of her day—besides her boys—was looking at menus, a change had to happen.

 

She certainly wasn’t sitting at the boutique, letting Bulma and Lazuli play “life coach”— as they had more than just a makeover planned—because she read an awful internet article about dating as a single mother. Or because the same article led to a handful more links, similarly offensive and foreboding. Or because she watched The Parent Trap while crying into a wine glass, while replaying her recent conversations with both Bulma and Lazuli in her mind.

 

Nope, that wasn’t why she was there at all.

 

Chi-Chi, being frugal and wanting to be pampered for once, had to bite her tongue at Bulma and Lazuli’s critique of her falling behind. As much as she loved her ladies, they seemed oblivious of the fact that not everyone came from money. She suspected she would look as fabulous as them if she could could afford nannies, stylists and spa days on the regular.

 

“Yeah, everything must go,” Lazuli said flatly. Chi-Chi threw her hands in the air.

 

“Fine. What I’ve been doing the past seven—no scratch that— _all my life_ hasn’t worked out so why not? Shave my head, I don’t care,” Chi-Chi defiantly.

 

“You’re not really _Girl with the Dragon Tattoo_ type,” Bulma chuckled, “But I like the enthusiasm. Think about it this way, you’re killing two birds with one stone. You need headshots for your new marketing materials anyway.”

 

Chi-Chi blinked, confused. “Marketing materials?”

 

“Yes of course. Headshots, a website, billboard, the works,” Bulma said excitedly. “That way I can write _all_ of this off.”

 

“Smart thinking,” Lazuli said, impressed.

 

“They don’t call me a genius for nothing,” Bulma returned with a wink. “I know I only own a 20% stake but I like _all_ my ventures to succeed no matter how small. Don’t you think Chi-Chi _herself_ would be the best spokesperson? Her company has her name on it after all!”

 

Lazuli leaned back. “Yes, especially since she looks at least ten years younger. She’s got that sweet baby-face thing going, a good association with food. Probably could stand to sex it up a little, though. She’d still be able to hit that 18-40 demo pretty well.”

 

“I’ll probably split the difference and tell the world she just turned 30,” Bulma said rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

 

“Good plan,” Lazuli said.

 

Chi-Chi’s eyes bounced back and forth as the rapid-fire conversation her friends were having about her venture. It was giving her whiplash. Bulma turned to her and clapped her hands, causing Chi-Chi to start. Bulma was such a drama queen!

 

“Speaking of which, look at your calendar, how’s your Wednesday looking?”

 

“I have the boys—”

 

“Oh Goku can watch them,” Bulma said dismissively, already tapping away at her phone. “If not, I’ll force Vegeta to have a mid-week playdate with his son and your little guy.”

 

“That’s cruel,” Lazuli drawled.

 

“He pissed me off this weekend, he deserves a little punishment,” Bulma said with an evil grin.

 

“Aren’t you pissed off at him _all_ the time?” Chi-Chi countered.

 

“Touche!” Bulma said, humor twinkling in her eyes. “Anyhoo, we wasted too much time yammering. _Zarbon!_ ”

 

Out of nowhere, a flamboyant looking green-haired man with scissors on hand appeared.

 

Bulma waved vaguely at Chi-Chi.

 

“We’re going to go for sexy housewife. But modern. With a twist. And make it bold. But subtle at the same time,” Bulma said, completely confusing Chi-Chi in the process. Lazuli nodded along as if Bulma hadn’t just burst into tongues.

 

While she felt a surge of recklessness and confidence earlier, as Zarbon approached Chi-Chi said a prayer to the old gods and new that she wasn’t making a huge mistake.

 

Though when it was all said and done, Chi-Chi had to admit, she had a little spring in her step. Bulma had made sure she had her schedule cleared for Wednesday without really explaining why.

 

As she glanced at a reflection of herself the store window, she thought that what was old is new again! For the first time in years, Chi-Chi was sporting a fringe! It really did make her look much younger. It was amazing what a few layers and snips could do.

 

She smoothed down her well fitting cashmere shirt. It draped on her interestingly, not form fitting but not loose either. Bulma had it personally tailored. Bulma and Lazuli had insisted on burning what she’d originally worn, but Chi-Chi was pretty relieved that — _“At least for now,” Bulma_ _said_ _ominously_ — they didn’t push her beyond a nicer pair of jeans and smart shirt.

 

She was musing over menus—both personal and professional—when she received a text notification.

 

 _Hey, princess. How’s life on the suburban lane? —_ Lapis

 

Chi-Chi’s jaw hug low. She couldn’t believe it! She hadn’t seen or spoken to Lazuli’s twin brother in maybe a year—she’d last seen him at Trunks’ birthday party. Her friend must have actually followed through with her threat to set her up with her brother!

 

She paused, looking around her phone in shock.

 

She wasn’t sure if she was more surprised that Lazuli would pull this stunt, or that Lapis was cool with playing the game. She bit her lip, looking up at the freezer aisle and caught a glimpse of herself on the glass doors.

 

New look. New Chi-Chi.

 

With that in mind, she gave herself a private half smile and quickly texted back.

 

 _Less exciting than yours, I’m sure. —_ Chi-Chi

 

 _Want to make it more exciting? —_ Lapis

 

Wow. Right to the point. He quickly sent a smiley face emoji followed by a winky emoji.

 

 _What did Lazuli tell you? —_ Chi-Chi

 

 _Only that I can finally play out that pool boy fantasy I have with a desperate housewife —_ Lapis

 

Chi-Chi’s eyes twitched.

 

 _Kidding. —_ Lapis

 

 _It was a gardener fantasy. —_ Lapis _._

 

Chi-Chi looked at her phone, a little uncertain. Lazuli and Lapis were always super sharp-witted and she hadn’t been flirted with this blatantly since…

 

… well. Too long.

 

 _Let’s grab a drink. —_ Lapis

 

Chi-Chi worried her bottom lip with her teeth. She never really thought of Lapis in any way beyond platonic before. He was handsome in an almost _feminine_ way, a little lankier than she preferred. Though, what did she know? She’d only ever preferred one particular guy, and it was time for her to broaden her horizons.

 

Besides, he was always fun and like his sister, a laugh riot. And though not close, technically, he was a friend. She didn’t have to worry about safety or misbehavior.

 

It began to dawn on Chi-Chi that this was exactly Lazuli’s intent.

 

She was suddenly very grateful to have people like Bulma and Lazuli in her life.

 

 _Yes. Free tonight? —_ Chi-Chi

 

.

.

.

 


	7. Chapter 7

When was the last time she actually spent a Saturday night out? Chi-Chi mused. She usually spent it on finishing household chores and prepping for the following week. Sometimes, she’d rouse herself enough to work out and would test how much remembered all the old katas she knew back when she used to practice martial arts.

 

She would finish the evening off with a good book and a glass of wine, a complete cliché, but she liked it. And when she _did_ go out, it was with Lazuli and Bulma, and they preferred a nice restaurant or each other’s houses, not a swanky bar.

 

She tugged nervously at her skirt. It was an old one and felt tighter than she remembered.

  
Shorter than she remembered.

 

She kept the new cashmere shirt on and thought that with some jewelry, skirt and ankle boots, she’d be able to repurpose it for a night out.

 

As part of her mini-makeover, she already had makeup on so she really just had to touch up her lipstick. Her palms began to sweat. This was making her feel more nervous than she thought.

 

By the time she got to the bar, she’d managed to calm herself down a little. She saw Lapis casually leaning against the wall by the entrance, scrolling on his phone with a bored expression on his face. A few women, younger, _much_ younger, were eyeing him with interest.

 

Oh god, she was a 37-year-old mom of two. What was she doing here?

 

As if reading her mind, Lapis looked up and saw her approaching. His bored face disappeared and was replaced with one that looked _almost_ admiring, if his default expression wasn’t sarcastic.

 

“Hey hot mama,” he drawled slowly, pulling her into a friendly hug. He leaned back to regard her. “You look good. New hair cut?”

 

“Yeah, was feeling like a change,” Chi-Chi said.

 

He stepped away, but let his hand linger on the small of her back as he led them in.

 

This is weird, she thought to herself, almost flinching away from his small gesture. He must have noticed because he angled a look at her and dropped his hand.

 

“Relax,” Lapis said with a chuckle. They found a small table with two high bar stools and situated themselves. “We’re just two friends, hanging out.”

 

“Hanging out,” Chi-Chi repeated with a nervous nod.

 

Lapis’ lips twisted and he looked down at the drink menu and said, “This is going to be fun.”

 

She was sure he meant that sarcastically but as time went on, Chi-Chi found herself relaxing _and_ having fun. Lapis really was a lot like her sister; maybe more sarcastic and biting, if one could believe it. But unlike his sister, who loved to drop bombs with a straight face and deadpan tone, Lapis tempered each barb with a smile.

 

She found out that he’d recently finished university studies and had gotten at job at the state national park. He didn’t _have_ to go back to school, especially since he had all that money from his time modeling in his youth, but he believed a bored mind was a dull mind, plus nature always called to him. He wanted to protect it and all its inhabitants. As a girl who grew up in the mountains, Chi-Chi related to that very much.

 

“To Mother Nature, my first love,” he said mockingly, lifting his bottle, but his eyes shone with sincerity.

 

At that, the smile that had been on Chi-Chi’s face faltered.

 

She didn’t really want to think about first loves.

 

They fell silent and for the first time since _finally_ relaxing. Chi-Chi felt awkward. Lapis leaned back on his stool and regarded her with a wave of his hand.

 

“So, are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?” he said finally.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I’ve decided I like you, Chi-Chi,” Lapis said casually, like he was describing the weather. Matter-of-fact.

 

“Gee, thanks?” Chi-Chi rolled her eyes and took another sip of her wine, the only glass she had this evening.

 

“And if we’re going to continue seeing each other, I need you to be straight with me.”

 

Chi-Chi’s brows raised in surprise. “We’re going to see each other after this?”

 

“Depends.”

 

“Do I have a say?” Chi-Chi returned with a half smile. He scoffed and grinned.

 

“No, I _like_ my women unwilling and bored out of their mind. But seriously.”

 

“Seriously _what?_ ”

 

He pursed his lips, as if considering his next words. Then, finally:

 

“Is Goku going to be a problem?”

 

Chi-Chi gaped soundlessly for a moment. “What do you mean? A _problem_?”

 

“There’s a reason I don’t fish in the same sea,” Lapis said in the same droll tone as before. “Gets complicated. But I like you. And Goku’s my friend. Therein lies my dilemma.”

 

She was shocked that Lazuli wasn’t kidding. There was some sort of… “guy code” at work. She shook her head.

 

“He doesn’t own me. And I have no hold on him whatsoever.”

 

He was quiet for a moment, looking like he was assessing her statement seriously.

 

“You sure about that last part?” Lapis asked finally, with brows raised.

 

“We’ve been divorced for _seven years,_ Lapis.”

 

Lapis shrugged, as if saying, “So?”

 

Chi-Chi shook her head, baffled, flashing him a tight smile. “If Goku and I were going to get back together, it would have happened by now.” Color suffused her face. “Besides, I… um, I think he’s seeing Launch? So clearly he doesn’t care about friend group dynamics.”

 

Lapis nearly choked on his beer. “Fucking with me.”

 

“She was cooking him dinner, the last time I dropped off the kids,” Chi-Chi said as casually as she could.

 

“Launch. _Tien’s ex-girlfriend_ Launch? The one with the drinking problem?” He banged the table in delight.

 

Her cheeks darkened. “Yes. I _really_ hope she got over that. My kids are there. I’m… I’m trusting Goku has the judgement not to expose them to her mood swings. I remember how wild she used to get.”

 

“Dende on a dongle.”

 

“That’s one way to put it.”

 

“Well, that was a long time ago,” Lapis said generously, sipping on his drink in amusement. “People change… Even me.”

 

Chi-Chi smiled. Lapis was definitely a lot of fun. She didn’t feel that magnetic pull to him the way she was around Goku, but he _did_ change. For all his prickly bluster, time seemed have smoothed some of his rough edges.

 

For now, all she felt were the comforts of friendship but he _was_ nice on the eyes… it could turn into something. Or maybe not, but her mood lightened at the knowledge that this was a good first step forward.

 

.

.

.

 

Chi-Chi was home by midnight and she stifled a yawn, thinking with amusement that this was the latest she’d stayed out for a while. After drinks, Lapis took her out dancing, which was also something Chi-Chi hadn’t done in ages. For someone with his reputation, he was really a true gentleman the entire evening.

 

Except for the flirting, it was a lot like hanging out with the girls.

 

She giggled silently to herself, thinking it was probably wise not to say that out loud in front of Lapis.

 

She was just removing her new shirt and was folding it up when her text notification pinged.

 

 _Alive? —_ Lapis

 

Chi-Chi smiled. And rapidly texted back.

 

 _Barely, but thanks for checking in, that’s sweet. —_ Chi-Chi

 

 _What’re you wearing? —_ Lapis

 

Chi-Chi nearly dropped her phone. Was he… was he serious? She looked around, wondering if she was on candid camera, like he had known she was just in her skirt and bra. Maybe she pegged him all wrong. Or… maybe she was just a prude?

 

Gah, she hated this dating thing.

 

In a second: _I’m kidding. Night, princess._ _x_ _—_ Lapis

 

Chi-Chi rolled her eyes, feeling slightly relieved that he was. He was as awful as his sister for pushing buttons.

 

She was finally in her pajamas and about to turn the lights off, when her notification pinged again.

 

Trying to match Lapis' teasing and feeling a bit daring, Chi-Chi cheekily typed:

 

 _I’m wearing pink polka dot pajamas. ;-) —_ Chi-Chi

 

She pressed send without another care, when she saw the history of the chat message was different:

 

 _Hope you have your phone on vibrate since it’s late. Texting you now before I forget that I told Gohan to invite Videl over for lunch tomorrow. You should come by! —_ Goku

 

Followed by her own text about _her damn pajamas._

 

Her stupid, ratty, completely unsexy pajamas.

 

Chi-Chi cried out in mortification, throwing her phone in the air. Of all the times to not be paying attention to who was texting her! What must Goku think!

 

He hadn’t responded so she quickly put her thumb on the message and tried to see if there was an option for “unsend.” There was a delete option, but did that just delete it on her end or on _his_ as well?

 

While she frantically considered her options, Goku responded.

 

 _?? —_ Goku

 

She didn’t know her fingers could type that fast.

 

 _Sorry!!! Wrong text window. Just jokes._ —Chi-Chi

 

She blew out an embarrassed breath, wondering how she got herself into these situations. She was about to lower her phone, trying not to dwell, when her phone pinged again.

 

 _I’m wearing nothing to bed. :-P—_ Goku

 

Chi-Chi’s heart rate immediately went to overdrive. She wasn’t sure if he was just trying to joke… or was saying the truth… or both.

 

Because he _loved_ sleeping naked.

 

Again, the vision of walking into his room by accident danced in front of her.

 

Chi-Chi considered all her options, then simply responded:

 

 _Ha._ —Chi-Chi

 

 _lol. gnight Chi. —_ Goku


	8. Chapter 8

Chi-Chi stifled a yawn. She was unused to staying up that late but her body’s routine made her wake up at her normal time. Still, she managed to make it to lunch at Goku’s since Videl was going to be there. How could she abandon a chance to needle her eldest son and his potential girlfriend?

 

Apparently Videl was just over to do homework, but Chi-Chi wasn’t stupid… she saw all the signs of a full blown crush from her son. And as mama bear, she had to make sure that Videl had the right intentions toward Gohan. Kids these days were just way too wild, and she wasn’t about to let any girl snare her beloved boy without her approval.

 

Gohan answered the door, blinking in surprise at his mother. “Oh, wow.”

 

She touched her hair self-consciously. Was it _that_ dramatic? Good wow or bad wow?

 

“Felt like a change,” Chi-Chi said as her son let her in.

 

“You look so _young_ ,” Gohan went on.

 

She tried not to feel insulted and said dryly, “What? As opposed to old and haggard?”

 

Gohan began to wave his hands in a panic, sensing his mother’s annoyance. “No no no, just...”

 

“What our son means to say is you look beautiful.”

 

Chi-Chi turned and saw her ex join the entrance, an enigmatic smile teasing his face. She flushed at his scrutiny. He was always complimentary toward her, but it didn’t really mean anything.

 

Goku was just being nice.

 

“Yeah, that,” Gohan said with a breath of relief. “Kinda like before.”

 

Chi-Chi turned back to her son. “Before?”

 

Gohan looked even more stricken. “Um… ”

 

“ _Gohan!_ Quit while you’re ahead,” Videl snapped, startling everyone by materializing from the side. She flashed a wide smile at Chi-Chi, her tone softening. “Hello, Mrs. Son.”

 

“Oh, uh...” Chi-Chi stumbled on correcting the girl as the teen gave her a hug. “Hello.”

 

“I love the hair, and thank you for having me for lunch,” she went on.

 

“Of course,” Goku said easily, already heading toward the kitchen. “C’mon I’m starving.”

 

He’d ordered Chinese take out for them all, and it was Chi-Chi’s guilty pleasure. She hadn’t had a bowl of fried rice and char sui in a long time, as she tried to make sure her meals were as healthy as possible especially with her kids.

 

Her kids seemed to appreciate it too, tackling the food enthusiastically.

 

“Did you do anything interesting this weekend?” Videl asked Chi-Chi curiously, as the meal went on.

 

“The hair, of course,” Chi-Chi said, waving at her head. Her gesture seemed to catch Videl’s attention even more.

 

“It looks like you also went out last night,” she said pointing at a faded turtle-shaped stamp on Chi-Chi’s hand, the _Kame House Club_ ’s logo.

 

Damn, she didn’t wash that off properly. She had been so tired that morning that her movements had been rather slow and half-hearted.

 

“Oh, yeah, went out…” Chi-Chi said noncommittally, sneaking a look at Goku who looked really amused all of a sudden.

 

“Late night, hm?” Goku said, grinning. “How are the girls?”

 

She realized that Goku had assumed she’d had a Girls Night Out with Bulma and Lazuli, and that had been the reason she was up so late texting strange things. It wouldn’t have been a far off assumption, as they did go outside of their homes to live it up occasionally, but it was few and far between.

 

Even though logically she knew it didn’t matter, she felt uncomfortable letting him — and due to their company, their kids — know she’d been out on a date. On a date with Lapis, no less.

 

She swallowed a mouthful of noodles at that moment, simply pointing to her mouth being full as to why she couldn’t answer right away.

 

Soon, the conversation shifted as Videl asked _Goten_ what he’d been up to, looking open and curious.

Chi-Chi observed that Videl was trying her best to make sure that she was on everyone’s good graces, making it quite obvious that she _wanted_ this family’s approval. Her youngest seemed surprised that he was even being acknowledged, but answered her cheerfully anyway.

 

“We moved some plants!” Goten said with a wide grin. “Did you know that some plants don’t like each other? So you have to move them so that they can be with their friends.”

 

Gohan chuckled at Goten’s explanation. “What he means is that some plants have symbiotic relationships while others have antagonistic relationships. When we all first started working on the garden this season, we didn’t really plan things out. We just put stuff together because it looked good.”

 

“And we forgot some plants and didn’t water them. If you don’t water them properly, they die,” Goten said seriously.

 

“Is that right?” Videl said with a wide smile, then looked up at Gohan who blushed and smiled sweetly back.

 

“And some plants were _sad._ They couldn’t talk to the sun, so they were dying, too,” Goten went on, still with that severe look on his cherubic face. “So we had to move them.”

 

“Well good thing you guys figured it out before the garden died,” Chi-Chi said with an amused grin.

 

“And now we know better,” Gohan said.

 

“Now we know better,” Goku echoed with his patented wide grin, looking proud of his sons.

 

“Sounds like an analogy for life,” Videl said, chewing thoughtfully. “Everything dies with neglect.”

 

Goku’s smile abruptly left his face, though he seemed to quickly recover with another bite full of food. If Chi-Chi hadn’t been almost preternaturally aware of Goku, she might have missed it, but something about Videl’s innocent statement bothered him.

 

But before Chi-Chi could think about it further, the conversation shifted again and soon she wondered if she had imagined Goku’s reaction at all.

 

As lunch winded down, Chi-Chi groaned rubbing her stomach. She had eaten _way_ more than she expected to, keeping pace with her ravenous son and ex, who were at least twice her size. She stifled another yawn, the heavy food and late night a heady combo.

 

Videl had insisted on doing all cleanup with Gohan by her side, saying it was her obligation as a guest. Chi-Chi was grateful and impressed at the girl’s manners. She had to admit, Videl’s politeness and clear intelligence, coupled with what seemed like genuine interest in her family, was starting to win her over.

 

Maybe she wouldn’t mind her son dating Videl after all.

 

She was hovering by the exit when Goku nudged her gently.

 

“Any plans for the rest of the day?”

 

“Not much. Just getting ready for next week,” she said, still rubbing her swollen stomach.

 

“Why don’t you stay? Goten and I were just going to watch a movie while Gohan and Videl do their homework. You have to go back here later anyway. Save a trip.”

 

Chi-Chi was about to refuse and make an excuse when Goten tugged at her hand.

 

“Come watch, mama.”

 

And that was all it took for Chi-Chi to capitulate. She was a sucker for her kids.

 

She sat on one end of the couch while Goku went to the other, Goten in the middle. As Goku turned the entertainment center on to choose a movie, Goten abruptly began to climb over her.

 

“Hey!” Chi-Chi protested.

 

“I want to sit there,” Goten said, almost kicking her toward Goku. Chi-Chi was about to scold Goten for his actions when she felt Goku lean over her and grasp Goten’s arm.

 

“Hey hey, you don’t do that, you could have hurt your mom. Say sorry.”

 

“Sorry,” Goten said automatically, lying his head on the armrest, sounding unbothered since his actions led him to his goal. Chi-Chi opened her mouth again to lecture her son for his rudeness, when Goku, tugged his son’s arm again.

 

“Apologize properly. Or you can go to your room. Choose.”

 

Chi-Chi looked at him, startled. She had _never_ heard him sound so stern. Goten looked contrite for a moment, then sighed, hugging her gently.

 

“I’m sorry, mama,” Goten said.

  
Goku nodded, satisfied, then exchanged a look with her as if saying, “Our kids are brats, am I right?”

 

Her pulse quickened at the look. It was so casual, but she found this new, unknown side of him so irrationally appealing. Goku was the most happy-go-lucky guy she’d ever known, and had let their kids run all over him without a care. But at potentially harming her, Goku was clearly displeased, and had handled the situation without her having to play Bad Cop, as per usual.

 

Suddenly, she felt _hyper_ aware of him; she always was but it now felt dialed up to 11. They were sitting side by side, but a respectable distance, not touching. But they might as well have been, since she began to notice every gesture, his warmth radiating toward her like a furnace.

 

He put on an animated movie about Lego figurines and as it went on, Goten shifted again, but this time to cuddle on her lap. Goku saw the move and reached over to ruffle his son’s hair, who batted away at his father’s hand, annoyed.

 

Chi-Chi smiled in amusement at Goku.

 

He winked at her, and all of a sudden, her face felt warm.

 

She remembered days like this, once upon a time, except it had been little Gohan on her lap instead of Goten. They had been so happy, the early years of their marriage. She had sincerely felt it was their family against the world, them and their baby boy.

 

They were _so_ in love… back then.

 

Her lips dipped as she stroked her son’s hair. Where did it all go wrong?

 

She sighed, trying to concentrate on the movie instead of _What ifs…_ and _What might have beens…_

 

However, her late night and early morning began to catch up with her. Coupled with the heavy, carb-laden lunch, Chi-Chi’s eyes began to droop.

 

“Chi?” she heard dimly.

 

She took a breath, forcing her eyes wide. “Hm?”

 

She heard a soft chuckle.

 

“Just close your eyes. Relax.”

 

She nodded sleepily as an arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her close. It was both a foreign and familiar feeling, this cocoon she was now in. Like a long ago dream… she was warm, comfortable.

 

Loved.

 

She smiled contentedly as she felt lips brush against her temple.

 

This was a lovely dream.

 

.

.

.

 

Chi-Chi felt disoriented as her eyes fluttered open. The sheets, the bed felt off… but everything smelled so good. While still in that in-between state, she took a deep breath, taking in the scent surrounding her. It was so familiar and comforting, but as consciousness tugged at her, the feeling that something was wrong grew.

 

Abruptly, she gasped, her eyes now wide open. A quick glance at her odd surroundings made her realize she was not in her own bed.

 

She quickly realized she was in Goku’s room, in Goku’s house.

 

For a split second, she panicked and felt her body for clothes… she let out a sigh, relieved to find she still had her shirt and jeans on, though her shoes and socks were off. She touched her now-burning cheeks, embarrassed at how her first thought had been something illicit enough to check for clothing.

 

She must have fallen asleep during the movie and Goku had carried her to bed.

 

She had a brief flash of memory, of his strong arms around her form as he carried her across the hallway. In her hazy state, she thought she’d been dreaming, and with horror, remembered she’d… she’d _nuzzled_ him, breathing him in.

 

Oh god, she might have even _kissed_ his neck!

 

She made a small _eep_ sound and threw the blankets over her head.

 

Was her subconscious just that much of a wanton?!

 

What must he _think_ of her?

 

She drew her knees up to her chest and groaned into her legs. Why hadn’t he simply shaken her awake? Why did he have to…?

 

She took another deep breath, looking at the ceiling.

 

Because he was Son Goku, the nicest man in the universe.

 

Don’t read into this, she told herself.

 

She padded back out in her socks, carrying her shoes to the foyer before heading back to the living room to see Goku and Goten still there. But she was surprised to find him looking over Goten’s Grade 1 worksheets, pointing quietly to the words that his son was learning to read and spell.

 

“Ape,” Goten whispered. “A-p-e.”

 

“That’s right,” Goku whispered back. “Now what’s the cousin of an ape?”

 

“...Monkey!”

 

“That’s right. Want to try that?”

 

She saw her son scrunch up his pert nose, pausing. “M… o… _ummm_ … nnnnn… ”

 

Goten stopped, looking frustrated. Goku ruffled his son’s hair.

 

“What sound does a monkey make?” Goku asked patiently.

 

“Ooh ooh ahh ahh eeh eeh —” Goten stopped abruptly. “M-o-n-k-e-e.”

 

Goku chuckled. “Close, kiddo. What’s this letter?”

 

He pointed at Goten’s worksheet and Goten blew out a breath. “Y.”

 

“Okay, try again.”

 

Goten sounded it silently to himself, rolling the letters around his tongue like candy, before trying once more: “M-o-n-k-e-y.”

 

Goku lifted his hand. “High five buddy, good job.”

 

Father and son exchanged happy slaps.

 

Chi-Chi clutched at her chest as she observed the scene. Until recently, she had never really spent time with Goku _together_ with their kids. They always seemed to deal with them separately or on occasions that truly required it, like parent-teacher meetings, sports events and medical emergencies like Goten’s arm.

 

So she was a bit overwhelmed seeing Goku help his youngest son with his homework. She had always assumed it was just fun and games over at dad’s house. She knew Gohan would study (that was her influence, regardless of where her boy was), but hadn’t realized that Goten would also be encouraged to work on his studies on the weekend as well.

 

He had _never_ helped with Gohan’s homework at the same age, and had _her_ deal with the burden of helping their eldest with his studies. She was “the brainy one” after all, he’d said once. Why bother, when she could do a better job than he? he’d explained another time.

 

She must have made a noise, because both their heads turned at the same time.

 

“Oh you’re awake,” Goku said, his voice back to a normal volume. His expression was clear and friendly, completely opposite to the turmoil that Chi-Chi had going inside. There was _no_ hint of awkwardness on his face.

 

Maybe she had _imagined_ trying to latch herself onto him?

 

“Hi mama,” Goten smiled. “Have a good nap time?”

 

“Yes, thanks, baby,” she said to Goten.

 

She turned to Goku. “Sorry about passing out. I guess I’m too old to stay up that late.”

 

Goku’s eyes crinkled. “Gotta let loose once in a while, right?”

 

She was suddenly struck with an irrational, stabbing guilt.

 

She had done nothing wrong.

 

So why did she _feel_ wrong?

 

She wrung her hands, smiling nervously. “I suppose.” She glanced at the clock on the mantle. “I guess it’s about time to go…?”

 

Goku looked at the clock too, with a small sigh. He smiled at Goten who was tracing the words he just learned on his worksheet, then kissed the top of his head.

 

“All right, kiddo, time to go home with mom.”

 

“Awww,” Goten protested but got up from his position all the same.

 

Meanwhile, Chi-Chi headed toward’s Gohan’s room — who had the door wide open — and yet when she stepped in, the two teens looked incredibly guilty. They were at least a couple feet apart, though…

 

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously but simply said, “Gohan, time to go home.”

 

Videl scrambled to her feet first, her face red though she was smiling. “Thanks for having me over Mrs. Son. If you could drop me off to the train station—”

 

“No, it’s fine, I’ll take you home,” Goku said, appearing behind Chi-Chi. He stepped toward Gohan and gave him a half-hug man pat that boys often shared.

 

“I don’t mind, the train takes me close to home,” Videl said as she picked up her backpack from the side.

 

“No no, we have two separate cars,” Goku insisted. “It’s all good.”

 

“Thanks, dad,” Gohan said as they all left his room.

 

As the kids all bundled into their separate cars, Goku motioned for Videl to wait and then jogged over to Chi-Chi’s side.

 

Chi-Chi lifted her brows in question, then swallowed a gasp as he lightly put a hand at the base of her back, just above the curve of her bottom. It was similar to what Lapis had done the night before, but _much_ more familiar, _much_ more intimate.

 

To an outsider, it looked like all he was just going to lean over to tell her something privately, completely innocent…

 

… but the brush of his lips against her jaw, right below her ear was _decided_ _ly_ the opposite.

 

“Come by any time,” he said, the quiet rasp causing goosebumps down her neck.

 

Stunned, she could only stare at him as he straightened and winked at her, looking quite pleased with his brazenness.

 

“We should all hang out together again soon,” he said brightly, as if hadn’t just… propositioned her in front of their kids.

 

Or had he? Was that a proposition?!

 

Oh god, had he thought her half-asleep state was a _come on?_

 

 _But why wouldn’t he?_ her hysterical mind screamed at her. _You pawed at him like some bitch in heat!_

 

Goku was already jogging to the other side before she could form a coherent thought, let alone a word.

 

She realized she was dumbly looking at empty space until her eldest son piped up, “Mom, let’s go! What’re you waiting for?”

 

She flushed in embarrassment, her hands shaking slightly as she entered her vehicle.

 

What just happened?

 

.

.

.


	9. Chapter 9

The next few days were a blur. Chi-Chi was completely confused about the weekend, so she threw herself into work. It was at least a legitimate way to get her mind off things.

But she still found herself checking her phone.

For what, she wasn’t sure.

A flirty text from Lapis?

Or something else from Goku?

But Chi-Chi was too much of a coward to confront either men as she had no idea what she even wanted any more. She was beginning to resent Bulma for bringing up her sex life — or lack thereof — and essentially putting her into the tailspin that she was in now.

So when Wednesday rolled around and Bulma demanded her presence just before noon at an address Chi-Chi didn’t recognize downtown, she was not in a good mood with her blue-haired friend. And as she walked into the building, she slowly realized she was in a giant studio.

After speaking to the receptionist of the generally nondescript building, she was led down a hall to a massive room filled with lights, backdrops and laptops. People milled about with clipboards and headsets; some were wearing what looked to be painting aprons, but they were clearly makeup artists. She recognized Zarbon off to the side by a mobile mirror station, arranging his tools.

As she came closer, she realized there was a makeshift kitchen in front of the backdrop. It had all been obscured by the people and equipment.

Almost like Moses parting the red sea, people began to move aside and revealed Bulma in the middle, barking something into a phone.

Did drama just follow Bulma wherever she went? She couldn’t even stand still talking on a phone without making it look like an entrance.

As if realizing Chi-Chi’s presence, Bulma abruptly cut off her call and lifted her arms in welcome.

“Chi! You made it!” Bulma exclaimed, rushing to kiss her on both cheeks as welcome.

“You told me to come here,” Chi-Chi said bemusedly.

“Yes, of course. Oh, what do we have here?” Bulma asked, pointing to the cooler slung against Chi-Chi’s hip.

“You also told me that this was going to be a food shoot. These were some of the items on my menu… Bulma, what the hell is this? What’s going on?’

“Your photo shoot, silly,” Bulma said, waving an assistant to take Chi-Chi’s cooler from her. “But it’s not just going to be food. It’s going to be you, too. I said headshots, remember?”

Chi-Chi waved around in disbelief. “This doesn’t look like headshots.”

“Oh, we’re going to test some conceptual shots, too. We have some ideas about how we want to market your brand, but we’re not a hundred percent sure which direction to go. I know you’re busy with the business and the kids, so we thought it’d be more efficient to try it all on one go. Save everyone time,” Bulma said smoothly. She snapped her fingers and pointed at Chi-Chi.

Zarbon suddenly appeared on one side, while an exotic looking woman with a perfectly painted face appeared on the other.

“Now, Zarbon, he has to fix your hair. And that’s your makeup artist, Helles,” Bulma explained, already waving them off.

“Bulma, what about what she’s wearing? She should change before we do our magic,” Helles protested.

Bulma nodded. “Right right. Chi, the changing room is over there. I already picked an outfit for you.”

Chi-Chi’s head bounced back and forth between all the million things that was happening, completely confused. “What?”

“Go go. Just change. Come back here and we’ll take care of you, all right? We’re on a schedule.”

Chi-Chi felt completely steamrolled but did as she was told, changing into the clothes left behind in the room. She was pleasantly surprised to see it was a sleeveless, white linen button up top with maroon wool cropped trousers speckled with gray. She was expecting something crazy, but this was definitely something she would wear herself. Though, this did fit better than most of her clothes.

As she walked out she was smiling toward Bulma who looked to be ordering more people about. But before she could reach her friend, Zarbon and Helles rounded on her.

Chi-Chi whipped around, panicked.

“What look are we going for?” Helles asked Zarbon, as if she wasn’t standing directly in front of her.

“I’m going to texturize her hair. We’re going to go for slight bed head, but still controlled. I think Bulma said she needs to look sun-kissed, natural. Skin has to look flawless. But still look like a mom.”

“I am a mom,” Chi-Chi said.

“Yes, darling,” Helles drawled placatingly but was clearly not even listening.

Chi-Chi tried to say something but she found herself whisked into a chair, and soon, Zarbon was spritzing and primping, and Chi-Chi tried not to flinch as her face was slapped with who knew what.

By the time they were done, Chi-Chi felt like she was having an out-of-body experience, unsure of what was going on. She was shoved a hand mirror and whirled around, so she could check the back of her head as well as her face.

“What do you think, darling?” Helles asked.

Chi-Chi blinked, surprised at her own reflection.

She looked like herself.

Like she just had a full twelve-hours of sleep. Like she had just turned back ten years. Her makeup was subtle but perfect, highlighting all her best features, her deep wrinkles softened and freckles tamed. Her hair wasn’t overdone, with a perfectly styled “just so” mess.

Sun-kissed.

Happy.

Pretty.

Without warning, tears sprang to her eyes.

“Oh, darling, glad you love it, but don’t ruin your makeup,” Helles said, already dabbing at the corners to make sure there were no mistakes.

“Oh my god, Chi-Chi, this is perfect,” Bulma trilled from the side, her hands at her mouth. “You are perfect. I think you’re ready for the spotlight now.”

“Bulma, I—” Chi-Chi was overwhelmed with gratefulness. She had come here feeling so annoyed and now she was ashamed. Bulma only ever wanted the best for her friend and she had come in so ungrateful.

“I know, I know,” Bulma said her eyes soft. “I’m the best. Now, listen to Helles. No crying. We want happy shots, you hear?”

An older gentleman with a long, dark pony tail walked by, holding a substantive DSLR in his hand. Bulma turned and waved to him.

“Chi, this is Daiz, your photographer. He’ll be taking all the shots today. He is a genius, and he’s going to make you look gorgeous for us,” Bulma said.

“We’ll make this fun,” the man said with a friendly smile.

Chi-Chi decided that she had been worrying for nothing.

.  
.  
.

Chi-Chi wanted to kill Bulma. This was torture.

What once started as pleasant quickly turned sour as an hour ticked by. Both Daiz and Bulma seemed rather frustrated at Chi-Chi, as she posed with the strawberry short cake she made.

“She is just so stiff,” Daiz said. “Everything looks and feels unnatural.”

“I am not a model, okay,” Chi-Chi huffed mortified.

Both Bulma and Daiz ignored her, musing together.

“We’ve tried everything. By herself. With the food,” Daiz went on. “She is too self-conscious.”

“Maybe we just need to take a break?” Bulma said, tiredly. “This is her first time doing something like this.” She turned to the crowd and declared loudly. “Everyone, let’s take ten.”

Chi-Chi huffed in frustration, almost slamming the strawberry short cake on the stone counter. She had tried smiling, not smiling, holding something, nothing, several things. Her cheeks ached with the effort, and she felt like a prize pony with her hair being tugged at every interval between shots. Her hands were positioned oddly and even standing straight had begun to feel unnatural.

This was tiring and she was getting hot under the glare of these lights. And yet, apparently, none of it was enough.

She suddenly had a lot more respect for Lazuli and Lapis for doing something like this for a living.

“Hey ladies, how’s it going?”

She had not been expecting that cheerful voice any time soon.

To Chi-Chi’s shock, she saw Goku walk casually to the set, waving a hand.

He had on a pale orange button up shirt on top of tailored navy slacks today for work. He looked more delicious than all the food that was styled for the shoot. And judging from the admiring looks from the rest of the set, she wasn’t the only one who thought so.

“Goku! What’re you doing here?” Chi-Chi gasped as he approached fake kitchen counter.

“Ooh, strawberries, my favorite,” Goku exclaimed, rounding behind her before reaching to pluck one from her shortcake.

She immediately grabbed his offending wrist, annoyed. “Goku, that was for the shoot!”

Abruptly, she realized exactly how close they were both were, their arms entangled. A frisson of awareness rippled through her, and the memory of the kiss by her jaw flashed, unbidden.

A flush stole across her cheeks.

A camera shutter snapped, unnoticed.

“Sorry, Chi,” Goku said mischievously, but still popped the strawberry into his mouth. Chi-Chi growled, but her annoyance was slipping. He was such a brat, but how could she resist that playful twinkle?

Another shutter snapped.

“Yes, yes, that’s it,” someone muttered quietly, followed by more camera shutter noises.

“You haven’t answered why you’re here,” Chi-Chi said slightly breathless, oblivious to others’ observation.

“My office is just down the road. Bulma told me you were down here doing something for your catering business, so I thought I’d stop by at lunch to see why I have the kids today,” Goku explained.

He was already hovering over the other goodies out on display, as if choosing what to take next.

“They’re not edible,” Chi-Chi said quickly.

“Liar,” Goku said, rubbing his hands in anticipation. Chi-Chi shoved him half-heartedly, and Goku nudged her back.

Snap, snap, snap.

“Get out of here, this is a professional photo shoot,” Chi-Chi said exasperatedly, trying to shoo him away with another gentle shove. He ducked his head and shrugged.

“Okay, okay. Can I have the leftovers?”

Chi-Chi laughed. “Yes, fine. Go.”

_“No!”_

Chi-Chi and Goku jumped at Bulma’s thunderous voice.

Bulma laughed delicately behind her hand as if realizing how forceful she’d been. “Sorry, I mean… Goku. Chi-Chi. We’d like to try something. Goku, can you stick around for a bit?”

“Just a few test shots,” Daiz added, his pony tail bobbing.

Goku looked at them, then back at Chi-Chi, confused. He scratched his head, mussing up his office-perfect hair into how it normally looked. “… Sure? I have to get back to the office, soon though.”

“Of course, just… can you stand… over there?” Bulma asked pointing just off to Chi-Chi’s side. He shuffled stiffly to do just that.

“Okay, great. Chi, can you put your back to him… hold the cake. Perfect. Okay. Now, look at Goku over your shoulder,” Bulma directed. Chi-Chi did as she was told, moving uncertainly.

“Like… this?” Chi-Chi asked.

“Hold her hips,” Daiz barked suddenly, causing Goku to start and do just that.

Chi-Chi swallowed, craning her head up at her ex who was looking down at her with a mixture of confusion and amusement. What was going on?

Chi-Chi heard a dozen camera shots and then:

“Yes, yes, look at each other, perfect… okay, Goku, try to grab the cake, but don’t actually grab— okay, good. Chi-Chi look annoyed. Ha! Perfect, perfect!” Bulma squealed.

Goku burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all, and Chi-Chi found herself following suit.

This was ridiculous!

“Ok, now turn toward him, Chi-Chi, good. Good. Look at him. Look like you want to have him for dessert, darling,” Daiz said.

Chi-Chi looked up, stricken, but Goku was wiggling his eyebrows in such a comically suggestive manner that she broke into a peal of giggles.

“Grab that plate of strawberries. Yes, good. Now, try to feed him,” Daiz went on. “Come on, yes, yes, slowly… yes. That’s sexy. Great, great!”

Chi-Chi felt her face flame as she offered Goku the strawberries, his eyes slowly losing its twinkling humor to be replaced with… something much more complex. His pupils were blown wide, his breaths shallow as the strawberry neared his mouth. His lips brushed against the tips of her fingers as she softly offered the fruit, electricity jolting up her arm.

“Oh _wow_ , hot, perfect!”

Chi-Chi felt herself burning up. She wasn’t sure if it was the lights or because Goku was radiating so much heat. Her skin prickled with anticipation, her belly tightening with a certain type of hunger.

She was starving.

She saw his eyes lower, looking contemplatively at her mouth. Her throat ran dry, so she darted her tongue slowly past her lips, her chin lifting as they inched closer together.

“Yes, yes, that’s great. I think we’re good!” Daiz exclaimed.

Chi-Chi jumped back as if burned, the photographer’s delighted shouts jolting her back to reality. She looked up and saw Bulma staring at them slack-jawed. She had never seen the heiress look so stunned.

And if Bulma looked stunned, Chi-Chi wondered how she looked.

She forced herself to regard the man who was running his hand through his hair, laughing nervously, his own cheeks blooming with color. She was glad she wasn’t the only one affected by what just happened. Or almost happened.

Or… whatever that was!

“That was interesting,” he said, finally.

“Yeah,” was all Chi-Chi could manage. Her face was probably as red as her slacks.

“I can still have the leftovers, right?” Goku asked with a half smile as he made his way towards her.

Her next laugh sounded more like a whoosh of air. “Yes, you pig.”

“Okay, I should head back,” he said, looking reluctant. “I just wanted to say hi and see how things are going. I hope I helped.”

“You were great Goku!” Bulma called, flashing him a thumbs up. He laughed and mirrored the gesture. Chi-Chi found herself chuckling.

What a ridiculous afternoon indeed.

He turned back to her. “Don’t worry about the kids, I’ll just pick them up straight after school if that works for you? And they might as well stay the night. You can just pick them up after school tomorrow.”

Chi-Chi nodded, grasping his forearm as he moved past her. “Thank you for watching them.”

“They’re my kids, too,” he said with a half-smile. He nodded towards Bulma, who was already focused on the images Daiz was showing her through the camera’s LCD screen. She must have seen him through her periphery since she lifted her hand to wave.

A familiar text notification on a table just off stage broke her reverie.

“Oh, Goku, since you’re close— that’s my phone. Can you hand it to me?” she asked, arm outstretched.

Goku glanced at its direction, recognizing the device, and nodded. He jogged lightly to grab it, looking down as he did so.

Chi-Chi was distracted with re-arranging the food on the counters so when she looked up at Goku’s face next, she was startled to see his eyes blazing.

… he was angry?

His lips were drawn into a semblance of a smile, but his movements were jerky as he practically threw the phone at her. She glared at him, irritated at the rudeness.

“What…?”

“Here.” His tone was clipped. He abruptly turned and stalked away without a backward glance.

“Go… ku…?” Chi-Chi frowned wondering what in the world got into him all of a sudden.

Then she looked down at her locked screen.

A notification message blared:

 _Want another go around this weekend? You can be on top this time. xxx_ —Lapis

A full five minutes after, when Chi-Chi learned with dawning horror that Goku had read the text, her phone pinged again:

 _Kidding._ —Lapis

.  
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	10. Chapter 10

Chi-Chi lost count over how many ways she started and stopped a text to Goku the next couple of days. She wanted to explain that Lapis was just joking… but it became muddled the more angles she tried to tackle. Chi-Chi began to wonder why she felt the need to explain anything at all.

 

She had done nothing wrong. She was not Goku’s, any more than she was Lapis’ girlfriend. She and Lapis had gone on _one_ date, a rather innocent one in fact. There really wasn’t much to say!

  
Still, the urge to talk to Goku to talk about recent events, especially with each other, was strong.

 

She was still incredibly unsure about what it all meant, especially since he was seeing Launch… right? But Goku made it abundantly clear that he was still interested in her… at least physically. She wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to pursue a _relationship_ again.

 

And even if he _was_ interested in something more, she wasn’t sure whether it would be smart of her to pursue. There was too much history, plus all the potential fall out scared the living daylight out of her. They’d already gone through a divorce, and she’d barely survived _that._

 

Dating friends and strangers were one thing. Dating the _father of her children_ while unsure she wanted a full reconciliation could destroy her kids.

 

 _And your heart, all over again_ , her mind whispered.

 

The reality was, _anything_ with Goku could never be done casually.

 

Or was she just an old-fashioned girl who had no idea how modern dating worked? Was she overthinking things? It was incredibly frustrating conundrum so in the end, she lost all nerve and decided not to say anything.

 

Besides, _Goku_ hadn’t brought anything up either, so… maybe he didn’t care? Maybe it wasn’t a big deal?

 

It was Friday, as she was prepping to take the kids to their father’s, when she received this text:

 

 _Too much?_ —Lapis

 

Chi-Chi’s brows knit in confusion.

 

 _What’s too much?_ —Chi-Chi

 

 _You didn’t get back to me about the weekend. —_ Lapis

 

Oh. He was talking about his joke. Chi-Chi sighed and shook her head. Honestly, she thought it was rather harmless, as she already was used to his off-colour antics. It was just poor timing.

 

 _Sorry, was busy that day. Then I forgot to reply._ —Chi-Chi

 

 _Normally women can’t get me out of their mind. :-p —_ Lapis

 

She bit her lip and then:

 

 _Sure, let’s hang out this weekend._ —Chi-Chi

 

 _Low key maybe? I could give you a tour of the park._ —Lapis

 

At that, Chi-Chi genuinely got excited. She loved the outdoors and any excuse to mingle with nature was a welcome one. She was much more comfortable amongst the trees and hiking boots than she was in concrete and heels.

 

 _Sounds fun!_ —Chi-Chi

 

 _Make sure to bring protection. —_ Lapis

 

 _Sun-block, I mean. ;-)_ —Lapis

 

 _Too easy._ —Chi-Chi

 

 _I wish you were._ —Lapis

 

Chi-Chi’s lips twitched.

 

 _No you don’t._ —Chi-Chi

 

Lapis sent her a kissy face emoji.

 

“Mom?”

 

Chi-Chi started. She realized that she’d just been standing at the foyer, literally twiddling her thumbs to text, while her children waited for them to all go. She flushed.

 

“Sorry, I was just...” Chi-Chi trailed off and decided to just drop it. She waved her kids out the door without another word and set off to drop them at her ex’s house.

 

She had no idea how nervous she was until Goku opened the door with a wide smile on his face, looking predictably attractive, adorable as always in a casual t-shirt and sweatpants. She felt a rush of relief as she saw _no_ trace of that anger when he’d handed back her phone on Wednesday. The kids ran into the house without much preamble.

 

“Hey!” he said cheerfully, then glanced down at the cooler in her hands. “What do you have there?”

 

“Leftovers, like I promised,” Chi-Chi said. “Can I come in?”

 

“Of course! I’m the _last_ person to say no to good food,” Goku said, taking the cooler from her hands as she followed him into his kitchen.

 

“Since the shoot was on Wednesday, not everything survived. Wouldn’t really be good now,” Chi-Chi explained, as she helped him unpack the cooler. “But there were a couple frozen things, and I had some leftovers from today’s gig to make up for it.”

 

“Aw, that’s sweet, Cheech. You didn’t have to do that,” Goku said, leaning over as he did so to draw her into a side-hug.

 

Goku was always physically affectionate, so a hug was not really a big issue between them, especially in recent years. Chi-Chi could have easily dismissed it if his hand hadn’t lingered on the side of her waist _just_ a little longer than was necessary.

 

As he drew back, did he just brush his palm against the curve of her butt?!

 

Did he just surreptitiously _cop a feel?!_

 

She glanced at him in shock, but his happy-go-lucky expression didn’t change as he inspected the neatly packed containers, curiously reading the names to determine what she’d brought him to eat.

 

Was she just imagining things? Was she now just reading too much into the smallest gesture?

 

She blinked rapidly as she helped him pack a few things into his fridge and freezer.

 

“There you go, you should be set for the week!” Chi-Chi said.

 

“Couple days, max, _maybe_. Especially since the kids’ll eat half of it, too,” Goku said.

 

“You owe me,” Chi-Chi said jokingly.

 

“I do,” Goku said nodding as they made their way to the exit.

 

She opened her mouth to send a final good-bye for the evening, when he leaned against the door jam and said, “Let me take you out as thanks.”

 

Chi-Chi’s lips parted. His brows raised expectantly.

 

_Did her ex just ask her out for a date?_

 

“Oh, uh, you don’t have to,” Chi-Chi blurted out and barely stemmed herself from cringing at her own squeaky tone of voice.

 

“I insist. There must be _somethin_ g I can do,” he said lightly, and suddenly she was very aware at how close they were both standing at the threshold. It would be _so_ very easy to close that gap…

 

Chi-Chi took a flustered step back, her face red as she laughed nervously. “Really, you don’t have to do anything. You know how much I like to cook and I don’t want good food to go to waste.”

 

He gave her an unreadable, considering look, before bobbing his head shortly. She made a move to leave when he suddenly asked, “Any plans for the weekend?”

 

This was _longest_ she’d ever hovered over his door after dropping off the children. It was almost like he was loathe to see her go.

 

“Um, maybe hiking?” Chi-Chi said, turning back slightly toward him. That was true at least.

 

“Fun! It’s been forever since the boys and I went outside this house, let alone the neighborhood, for the weekend. We might have to steal your idea.”

 

They stared at each other for a couple more beats. The air felt charged with words unsaid, but neither were willing to broach anything at the moment.

 

She broke their unspoken game of chicken first.

 

“Well, um… have a great rest of your weekend. I’ll see you on Sunday!”

 

Goku inclined his head. “You, too! Enjoy your hike.”

 

.

.

.

 

Lapis was dressed head to toe in black, with a black leather jacket and a pitch-black shirt over jeans. The only spot of color was in the red bandana around his neck. He kinda looked like an outlaw, especially leaning against his motorbike.

 

“A rebel without a cause,” Chi-Chi drawled as she walked down her driveway.

 

“I take any comparison to James Dean as a compliment, so thank you,” Lapis said. He gave her an appreciative once over, like she had just walked out runway-ready instead of a jean jacket over a plain red tank top, cargo pants and sensible sneakers. She flushed at the blatant scrutiny. She wasn’t used to being ogled. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant, though.

 

“Hop on,” he said, extending his hands to lend her his spare helmet. Chi-Chi hesitated. She had nothing against motorbikes, it had just been a long time since she’d been on one and her motherly side had a few safety concerns.

 

She tamped it down as she placed the protective gear over her head and hopped behind Lapis.

 

“Feel free to grab whatever you want,” Lapis said cheekily, as she secured her arms behind him.

 

Then they were off.

 

Chi-Chi felt a little exhilarated being transported this way. It was a far cry for the usual SUV drive and it reminded her of when she and Goku were teenagers, traipsing across the mountains and valleys with just their motorbike and their backpacks and their wits.

 

Goku had sold the bike shortly after Gohan was born.

 

She frowned and tried to simply enjoy the ride. It was hard not to dwell on the fact that while she was on a date with another man, she couldn’t help but compare the experience with ones she had with her ex.

 

As they entered the state park and made their way to the parking area, she saw a flash of something _very_ familiar…

 

… oh my god, was that Goku?! And _their kids?_

 

Lapis parked and Chi-Chi disengaged so quickly, she almost tripped over herself. Lapis took off his helmet and immediately turned to her with a curious look.

 

“I thought it was just going to be us?” Lapis said he hooked the helmet beneath his arm.

 

So she hadn’t been seeing things! Chi-Chi combed her hair with her fingers after she took her own helmet off.

 

“It was, I didn’t expect them here,” Chi-Chi said, confused.

 

“ _What_ a coincidence,” Lapis said sarcastically, but looked mildly amused. He gave her a sidelong glance, an eyebrow quirked. “Does Goku know we’re seeing each other?”

 

Chi-Chi watched as Goku and their sons seemed oblivious to them as they grabbed a couple of water bottles from the trunk and chatted away.

 

“I, uh, I guess so…?”

 

She _knew_ Goku had seen that text…

 

“Huh. Interesting,” Lapis said, still with that amused tone. “ _HEY GOKU!”_

 

Chi-Chi jumped, startled at Lapis’ sudden shouting and waving of his hand. Her ex turned toward their direction, and he _seemed_ surprised to see them across the parking lot. Her kids certainly were, as she saw Gohan squint forward. Goten had waved back enthusiastically and was already full-on sprinting toward them before Goku could even respond.

 

She saw her ex start at Goten’s enthusiasm, jogging behind the little boy immediately, lest he get run over by someone who wasn’t looking at the parking lot.

 

“Mama!” Goten exclaimed, rushing to hug her. He turned and waved to Lapis. “Uncle Lapis!”

 

“Hey brat,” Lapis replied with a smile.

 

“Goten, you shouldn’t just run off like that!” Goku said, his tone exasperated. He exchanged a look with Chi-Chi.

 

“What’re you doing here?”

 

Goku and Chi-Chi both said the question at the same time.

 

“We’re going on a hike,” Lapis answered easily, draping a casual arm across her shoulders.

 

“So are we!” Goten chirped.

 

Chi-Chi swallowed, suddenly feeling very _very_ awkward.

 

Still, Goku’s face was open and friendly as he nodded, extending a hand. Lapis took the offered hand and shook it briefly.

 

“Cool, yeah, Chi-Chi said something about a hike last night,” Goku said lightly. “Gave us the same idea. I didn’t think we’d all go to the same place.”

 

“At the same time, too!” Lapis said with unconcealed disbelief.

 

Chi-Chi swallowed a groan. It was clear what Lapis was trying to insinuate, but that just didn’t make sense. It _was_ a coincidence, wasn’t it? All she told Goku was that she was going for a hike, not _where_ and _when_ it was.

 

“You know what they say about great minds,” Goku said, tapping his temple. He leaned slightly aside as he looked at Lapis bike. “Is that a BMW R Nine T?”

 

“Yeah a 2014,” Lapis said, dropping the arm around Chi-Chi’s shoulders as the men rounded toward the machine.

 

“Gorgeous,” Goku said.

 

“Yeah, I like a nice vintage-styled body.”

 

“I heard the newer models are more efficient, though,” Goku commented, crossing his arms as he regarded Lapis’ bike.

 

Chi-Chi wondered if she bumped her head and was in the middle of a lucid dream. Was this actually happening? Was she mutely watching her ex and her date calmly discuss motors and machines like nothing out of the ordinary?

 

Was Goku really _that_ okay with her dating Lapis? Had she been imagining Goku’s flirtations all along?

 

 

Gohan had finally made his way toward them. Her eldest looked at her, his father and Lapis curiously. “Hey, Mom. Didn’t expect to see you here.”

 

“I wanted to go on a hike. Um, your Uncle Lapis works here so… he wanted to show me around. I guess we all thought about the same place,” Chi-Chi said, with a small shrug. Gohan nodded, then looked at the two older men commiserating over engines and models.

 

“Are you thinking of getting a new bike, dad?” Gohan asked.

 

“ _You_ don’t need a new bike,” Chi-Chi broke in immediately, looking pointedly at Goku. “Or any bike, please.”

 

Goku stuck his lower lip out. “Why not? It’s so sexy.”

 

“Can’t argue with that,” Lapis added, with a wink toward her.

 

“I kinda like this co-parenting thing,” Chi-Chi said firmly. “I’d rather not scrape the father of my children off the pavement.”

 

“Your boyfriend rides. Didn’t you ride with him here?” Goku asked, brows raised.

 

It was a little disconcerting for Goku to refer to Lapis as her boyfriend. Judging from Gohan’s startled look and Lapis’ quick glance at her, he also seemed a little surprised at the reference. She wasn’t sure how to correct him…?

 

She felt blindsided and disoriented.

 

Lapis said nothing.

 

“Yes, but that’s different,” Chi-Chi replied awkwardly.

 

Goku lifted a brow. “How? I’m supposed to be okay with scraping the _mother_ of my kids off the pavement?”

 

“No one is getting scraped off the pavement,” Lapis said dryly. “Don’t worry Goku. Chi-Chi’s wrapped around me so tight, there’s no way she’d fall off.”

 

Chi-Chi’s jaw hung low, but Goku barely blinked. Gohan instantly looked uncomfortable.

 

“Lapis,” Chi-Chi said sharply, displeased.

 

“What? Oh. You guys need to get your minds out of the gutter,” Lapis drawled looking not at all remorseful.

 

Goten began to tug at Chi-Chi’s shirt, his lip jutting out like a mirror of his father just moments earlier. “Why are we still here? I want to climb rocks and see animals.”

 

Chi-Chi exchanged a helpless look with Lapis. “Um...”

 

“We should _all_ go,” Lapis drawled. “I know this place like the back of my hand. I might as well give you all a tour.”

 

“We don’t want to intrude,” Goku said lifting his hands, his eyes wide.

 

“No intrusion. The more the merrier, right Chi?” Lapis said. It was clear Lapis thought this was one giant setup but was open to improvising.

 

Feeling as if she had no choice, Chi-Chi shot him what she hoped was an apologetic glance as their motley crew made their way to the park’s entrance.

 

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	11. Chapter 11

Chi-Chi had gone through a lot of embarrassment in her life.

 

One time, when Gohan was a baby, she had to deal with an exploding diaper at the mall and it had actually gotten into her hair! Another time, she had been so tired after a night caring after Gohan and Goten as a baby, that it was only when she’d gone home from her walk at the park, that she realized she’d forgotten to re-adjust her shirt and breast-feeding bra, essentially flashing everyone for at least two hours.

 

And of course, she had already managed “The Talk” with Gohan, which was a lesson in torture for mother and son. Especially since apparently, Goku had had it with him _years_ earlier and never told her… that had turned into a giant argument.

 

So, Chi-Chi wasn’t exactly a stranger to awkwardness or embarrassment, and she thought at some point, especially as a mom, she could no longer be fazed by much.

 

Still, this Saturday afternoon was beginning to test her limits.

 

At first, it seemed like a semblance of normal.

 

Lapis would make a comments about the foliage and trees, sharing boundless amount of information about the topography and environment. Her studious Gohan was especially interested, and Goten, while not understanding most of the nuance, was interested about which trees were friends with which plants — and was utterly delighted to find out that specific _animals_ could either be friends or enemies with plants, too.

 

Goku had been mostly quiet during this exchange, a smiling, pleasant company who seemed content to have Lapis lead the group.

 

The surroundings were lovely and the air fresh. It reminded Chi-Chi of her youth and more innocent times, when she dreamed of a simpler life. It buoyed her mood, being surrounded by her children and nature.

 

She should have known it would be short-lived.

 

Chi-Chi had been silently thanking the gods that it looked like the afternoon wasn’t going to be a disaster, but something shifted when Lapis lifted Goten onto his shoulders. Her youngest wanted to get a closer look at a branch of a tree.

 

“Oh, you don’t have to do that, I can carry him,” Goku said, already reaching out.

 

Lapis shook his head. “Nah, I’m good. The brat weighs nothing.”

 

She smiled at Lapis. “You won’t be saying that ten minutes from now and you try to put him down and he starts screaming.”

 

“Eh, he weighs maybe a lil’ more than Marron. And I carried her an hour up this hill,” Lapis said cheerfully.

 

“Hey Chi, remember that time I had to carry _both_ the kids up the stream on Fire Mountain?” Goku said with a laugh. “Gohan was on piggy back and Goten was in that baby bjorn thing.”

 

Chi-Chi swallowed a groan. They were _not_ going to start “feats of strength” bullshit using the kids, were they? She would have expected this reaction from _Vegeta,_ as he was wont to do after Goku shared an innocent accomplishment. It was odd to see Goku try the same with Lapis.

 

“Oh really?” Lapis said with a wide eyed stare. “I didn’t know you were around when Goten was a baby.”

 

Chi-Chi gasped at the barb. That was a little less playful and a little more hurtful than was necessary.

 

“All right, that’s enough.”

 

“What, babe?” Lapis asked, and she was certain that he was only playing stupid and tacked on that endearment to bug Goku.

 

Still, Goku’s expression betrayed nothing but mirth, as if Lapis’ tiny barb had flown straight over his head. Chi-Chi glared at Lapis, who seemed even more amused at her reaction than anything.

 

And from that moment on, began a dance of passive-aggressive posturing. Goku would say something perfectly fine, Lapis would undermine him with a smile, then Goku would return with a happy response that negated what Lapis would say.

 

She was grateful that Goten scurried away to see what Gohan was up to — he was taking a ton of photos and Goten wanted to be in some of them.

 

But, once her youngest was out of earshot, the weird verbal sparring escalated. It spanned from the inane — Goku, apparently, was at least three inches taller — to escalating talents that most didn’t know about — Lapis had once qualified for the Satan Games in Track & Field.

 

Between the bluster about saving lives — Goku being ex-SAIYAN (Sea, Air, Interior, Youth, Army, Navy) — and Lapis regaling everyone about his international travels and study, somehow the subject of Lapis’ notorious womanizing reputation was brought up.

 

Lapis was completely unfazed.

 

“I make no apologies. You can’t blame a guy for having _great_ taste,” Lapis said with a pointed look at Chi-Chi.

 

Chi-Chi wanted to roll her eyes at the blatant statement.

 

“Speaking of great taste, I’m _starving_ ,” Goku said suddenly. He turned to Lapis. “Are there any picnic tables coming up soon?”

 

Lapis nodded. “Yeah, yeah, just around that corner, there’s a couple.”

 

“I hadn’t thought about lunch,” Chi-Chi said, sighing. Lapis smiled, seeing an excellent exit strategy.

 

“Well, I guess we’ll just leave you and the boys to it, while Chi-Chi and I head back to grab something,” Lapis said, as he inched towards her to place a hand on her hip.

 

“Oh, Gohan and I brought a ton of food. Should be enough for everyone,” Goku said cheerfully. “When Chi-Chi was over last night, she was _really_ generous.”

 

“Generous, huh?” Lapis drawled, an eyebrow cocked.

 

Chi-Chi was speechless. The way Goku _phrased_ that made it sound…

 

“Chi-Chi _gives_ a lot of herself, you know? Always makes sure you're _satisfied_ with everything. I feel _really lucky_ ,” Goku went on.

 

 _What the hell...!_ Chi-Chi's face flamed and she wasn't sure if she was starting to get way too influenced by Lapis... but Goku, who never used sarcasm in his verbal arsenal, sounded like he was dropping innuendo bombs left, right and center. And yet, Goku's face was still all innocent smiles and clear eyes, confusing Chi-Chi's understanding and making her second-guess herself, so she said nothing.

 

She simply gaped mutely at the exchange in horror.

 

“I’m sure,” Lapis said dryly, his hand dropping from Chi-Chi’s hip. He rubbed his eyebrow and made a show of looking at his wristwatch. “You know, I just remembered I have to be somewhere today.”

 

The lie was so blatant, he didn’t even bother to mask the droll look on his face.

 

“That’s too bad, you’ve been a _really_ great guide,” Goku said, his voice upbeat.

 

“Well, I guess I’ll just head back with you?” Chi-Chi said uncertainly. Lapis briefly looked to the sky, but the smile he gave Chi-Chi was friendly.

 

“Nah, Cheech, I know you actually wanted to go on this hike. I’m sure Goku is _more_ than happy to drop you back home.” Lapis’ tone was tinged with laughter.

 

“Yeah, of course,” Goku said cheerfully. “See ya around Lapis!”

 

Goku started to wave and stepped closer to Chi-Chi, even though Lapis hadn’t even made a move to leave quite yet. The blatant dismissal made Chi-Chi want the ground to swallow her whole.

 

Lapis shared a look with Chi-Chi, who simply mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

 

Lapis breathed out a laugh, shaking his head as he lifted a hand. “All right. Well. I’ll call you. Maybe. Later, Goku. Later, Cheech.”

 

Lapis turned and gave what looked like a good-bye salute, with his back to them.

 

“What the hell was that?” Chi-Chi snapped when Lapis was gone.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

Goku seemed to be in quite high spirits now, the grin almost splitting his face.

 

“ _Don’t_ play dumb with me. That shit with Lapis,” Chi-Chi growled.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Goku said, still with that wide smile, as he shrugged one backpack strap off to take a water bottle out. He guzzled it generously, and Chi-Chi found herself momentarily dazed at watching his Adam’s apple bob.

 

Why did she find even the most mundane thing from him incredibly sexy?

 

“We’re going to talk about this later,” Chi-Chi said sharply, maybe more sharply than she intended to distract from her own internal thoughts. “But Lapis is _right,_ I did want to go on this hike and our kids are here, so it’s not the right time. But _don’t_ think you weaseled out of this one!”

 

“You’re really cute when you’re angry.”

 

Chi-Chi’s jaw went slack, startled at the sudden compliment. “Wh…”

 

“Anyway, if I’m hungry, the boys probably are, too. Let’s go have that lunch,” Goku said, half-jogging toward their kids who were just within eye sight. He was moving backwards, and he was making such comical faces that Chi-Chi felt her lips tug upward.

 

He was such a goof.

 

She sighed, her ire seeping away as she jogged up to join the rest of her family.

 

.

.

.

 

It was awkward at first trying to explain to the kids where Uncle Lapis went. Goten was especially disappointed as his new best buddy was now gone, but Gohan and Goku had shared a small smile.

 

The rest of the hike was actually quite wonderful. Without Lapis and Goku’s constant double-entendres, it was just a nice day out with her family. Chi-Chi found herself relaxing as she walked with her youngest, his hand in hers.

 

“Hey Goten, look at that bird! Come here and check out its feathers!” Gohan called from the side.

 

Goten dropped his mother’s hand to observe the an exotic looking creature flutter its wings against the branches. Chi-Chi watched the brothers interact with each other, and she thought she must have done _some_ thing right to raise such close siblings, despite their age difference.

 

Goku moved ahead and her eye caught a flash of red. Her maternal instincts kicked in and without thinking she moved forward and touched Goku’s back with concern.

 

“You’re starting to burn just below your neck,” Chi-Chi told him. He craned his head, even though he wouldn’t be able to logically see.

 

“Ah, it’s hard to reach,” Goku sighed with a shrug.

 

Chi-Chi rolled her eyes. “I hope your brought extra sunscreen.”

 

Goku shrugged off his backpack, opening it to find a bottle of lotion. “Of course, I always bring one for the kids.”

 

“Lean down, you’re too tall,” Chi-Chi griped, as she squirted some of the lotion onto her hand.

 

He angled himself sideways and she swatted at him playfully at his antics, before he turned and crouched down properly.

 

The moment she touched his skin, she realized her folly.

 

There were fun hugs and brief touches, even flirtatious ones that teased the edge of decency in recent times… but never this purposeful, prolonged contact.

 

She felt her face heating up as she rubbed small circles at the base of his neck and the top expanse of his back. Her fingers brushed just underneath the edges of his shirt to make sure she didn’t miss anything, and she swallowed as her fingers tingled to feel the muscles that rippled just beneath.

 

Did the rest of him feel as solid as she last remembered? He _looked_ solid, like a walking, pliable, warm statue...

 

Considering her attention to his back, she was glad that he couldn’t see how affected she was by such a simple gesture, how innocent it was but intimate it felt.

 

How was it possible to be so attracted to one person? It was insane.

 

As the white of the lotion faded, she reluctantly lifted her hands and cleared her throat. “Um… I think you’re good.”

 

He turned, his lips tugging at the edges, as if he _knew_ exactly what she was thinking but was way too polite to actually say anything. It was kinda infuriating.

 

It was kinda sexy.

 

“How about you? Let me look to see if you missed anything,” Goku said, turning her gently.

 

“I’m usually pretty good,” Chi-Chi said breathlessly. She wasn’t sure if she hoped that she _had_ missed a spot or not. It was hard to think while he kept touching her. There was no innuendo to his touch, but her body seemed to react that way all the same.

 

After the second turn, she began to realize he was no longer looking for signs of an impending sunburn, but was just twirling her around for his own amusement, an opportunity for him to ogle and touch her openly.

 

“Hey! I think you’ve had a good enough look.”

 

“Maybe you need more lotion on your face. It’s getting a little red,” Goku said cheekily, making a swipe at her nose with sunscreen.

 

She smacked him and he laughed.

 

“Why _you_...” Chi-Chi began to smack him repeatedly, trying to get that stupid grin off his face, while also defending against his hand reaching her face, as he seemed determined to do.

 

“Whoa, violent! What will the children think?” Goku said lifting his arms in mock defense as Chi-Chi batted at him.

 

“They’ll think, ‘Wow, good for mom, that idiot had it coming,’” Chi-Chi said. A giggle passed her lips unbidden as Goku swiped at her, but this time, he managed to smear a good dollop on her cheek. She shrieked, launching herself at him to wipe the dollop off her face and onto his.

 

Goku exclaimed in surprise, clearly not expecting her to actually retaliate so aggressively, the bottle of lotion in his hand sailing in the air as he braced himself for her attack. She managed to catch a bit of his chin with some leftover lotion before he grasped her wrists to still her movements.

 

“You’re unbelievable!” Chi-Chi exclaimed as she wiggled against his immovable form, her arms trapped in his grip.

 

“Well, you’re beautiful!”

 

Chi-Chi’s lips parted in surprise, her eyes wide.

 

All movement stopped.

 

Goku’s eyes were soft and warm as he raked his gaze across her face. She realized that she’d all but thrown herself into his arms like an eager lover, her breasts heaving against his chest after all the activity, her hands reaching out toward him.

 

“Goku...” she whispered.

 

A twig snapped.

 

Both Goku and Chi-Chi turned to see the stunned faces of their children gaping at their antics.

 

“Mama, why are you wrestling with Dad?”

 

.

.

.


	12. Chapter 12

Chi-Chi had _not_ expected Bulma Briefs to drop everything to show up at her door twenty minutes after they’d hung up. It was a shock to see the normally glamorous heiress with her hair up in a bun, a dingy white t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up and jean short shorts. It reminded her of the old days, before real life and responsibilities took over, when Bulma would burst into her dorm room, demanding explanation about the latest gossip or some other occurrence.

 

It warmed her heart.

 

“Okay, tell me everything,” Bulma said bluntly.

 

Chi-Chi flushed and let her friend in.

 

“I… there’s nothing much more to tell, really,” Chi-Chi went on.

 

“No. _No_ , don’t do that,” Bulma said sharply with a pointed finger. “You’ve been withholding stuff from me and I’m kinda hurt by it! Because, first of all: Are you _fucking kidding me? Lapis?_ ”

 

Their brief call had been a normal Sunday afternoon catch up, and Chi-Chi had given her brief summary of the past few weeks.

 

“We went on _two_ dates,” Chi-Chi said as they headed to the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of wine from her cabinet, but Bulma brushed past her to take a bottle of whiskey instead. Wordlessly, Bulma found a tumbler and immediately poured the amber liquid in.

 

“And not even that,” Chi-Chi went on. “One and a half. Sort of.”

 

“Yeah no _duh_ Goku would try to cock block all of this the moment he found out! When I said start dating again, I meant _strangers_!” Bulma said with a quick swig of the hard liquor. Blue eyes narrowed with interest. “So did you take a ride on more than his motorcycle?”

 

Chi-Chi’s jaw dropped. “Do you _know_ me? We went on _two_ dates, one of which was spent mostly with my _ex-husband_ hovering around.”

 

“I guess I _don’t_ know you, because honestly… _Lapis_. I’m ready to believe anything now.”

 

Chi-Chi rubbed her eyebrow. “I wanted to go out with someone I knew would be _safe._ ”

 

“Safe like a pit of vipers!”

 

“Bulma, he’s our friend. He’s Lazuli’s brother.”

 

“And I’m guessing that’s the _only_ reason why Goku hasn’t beaten him to a pulp yet.”

 

“Goku and I aren’t together! He would have no right to—”

 

“Doesn’t he?” Bulma broke in with a brow raised, taking another sip of whiskey.

 

Chi-Chi ducked her head, guiltily. “I don’t know. He… we haven’t talked about anything.”

 

No, all they’d done was flirt with each other shamelessly, in front of their kids no less, and not have one single serious discussion about the past few weeks…

 

“Let’s be real here, Chi,” Bulma said, her expression sobering. “Do you want to get back with Goku? Because you _know_ he’d back off if you just said so. He’s not the type of guy to… well, I mean, he’s a fucking boy scout. He wouldn’t be upping his game if you haven’t…”

 

“If I haven’t _what…_?” Chi-Chi said, narrowing her eyes.

 

“If you haven’t given him the green light, is all I’m saying,” Bulma said bluntly.

 

Chi-Chi shifted her feet, unable to deny her friend’s statement.

 

“I mean, he’s _never_ pulled this shit with you in pretty much the seven years you’ve been divorced right? And haven’t you gone on lame-ass dates before too? Something _changed…_ and remember, I was there at the photo shoot. I’m not _blind._ You guys were ready to eat something other than food, audience be damned.”

 

Chi-Chi touched her burning cheeks, knowing she couldn’t deny it. There was only so much she could pretend was an accident.

 

“Oh my god, it’s all making sense now, you two are so bad at…” Bulma began then took a deep breath. “Chi. Have you and Goku ever had… like… a post-moterm about your divorce?”

 

Chi-Chi frowned. “What do you mean? Like… hey, let’s go over what went wrong? Are you kidding me?”

 

But Bulma’s blue eyes were sharp and clear. “No, I’m not kidding. Have you guys _ever_ spoken about exactly why you broke up? You filed for the papers while _he was deployed_. He wasn’t even in the same country. And er, you were kinda pregnant and hormonal at the time.”

 

Chi-Chi closed her eyes briefly at the painful memory.

 

“Did you two actually talk about the details beyond… um, _logistics?”_

 

“Of course! It’s not like I wasn’t going to leave him without letting him know why! Though it was rather obvious. And it’s not like he blindly signed those papers, either,” Chi-Chi said with a frown, not understanding what Bulma was trying to get at.

 

Bulma pursed her lips. “I don’t know about that last part.”

 

Chi-Chi gaped at her friend in disbelief. “What the hell are you talking about?”

 

“Chi, you sent him those papers _while he was deployed_ ,” Bulma repeated softly. “He signed them when you weren’t even in the same room.”

 

“Well if he wanted to sign them in person, then he could have just come home,” Chi-Chi said sharply, her throat closing up with tears from long-ago heart break.

 

Bulma shook her head. “Chi… you knew he couldn’t.”

 

“He didn’t have to go. He didn’t even come back for another _two_ years,” Chi-Chi added, her eyes stinging with pressure.

 

Bulma took another sip of whiskey and sighed. “You both are being cowards about this by saying nothing, not talking. In this case, ‘go with the flow’ is probably going to end up with disaster. And I’m _not_ sure you’re the one that’s going to be left hurt the most after it’s said and done.”

 

Chi-Chi was startled at the reproachful look on the heiress’ face. “What are you talking about?”

 

“Chi, I know I’m biased because Goku’s my friend too, but… he was fucking _destroyed_ when you left him.”

 

Chi-Chi frowned deepened. Goku had been subdued during the process, resigned even, but there had been no indication to her that their divorce had been anything but just a nuisance. It was why she had been so determined to go through with it… he hadn’t protested, hadn’t fought back.

 

In fact, he hadn’t cared at all, and Chi-Chi had realized at the time that was what hurt her the most.

 

“I’m sure he was upset,” Chi-Chi allowed with a shrug. It was Bulma’s turn to look at her with disbelief.

 

“Are you really that—” Bulma was starting to sound angry, but whatever she was going to say seemed purposely cut off.

 

“I mean, he no longer had a cook and maid on hand,” Chi-Chi said with a trace of bitterness. “And the kids to amuse him when he was bored.”

 

Bulma pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay. You… are entitled to feel that way. He wasn’t the best husband or father at that time. But… ugh, Chi, I’m going to stop now. It’s not my place to judge.”

  
Bulma’s lips thinned, and despite her casual attire and appearance for the day, the corporate mogul and top scientific mind of their generation was now looking back at her.

 

“You two need to talk it out. _Have_ that post-mortem. Because it sounds like _neither_ of you were honest then and neither of you are honest _now_.”

 

“Did _you_ and Vegeta have a post-mortem?” Chi-Chi had meant to throw the question in Bulma’s face in defense, not expecting the heiress to nod vigorously.

 

“Oh you bet your ass we did. Because no matter how good the sex was, I sure as hell wasn’t going to be ‘his woman’—” Bulma actually paused to do air quotes. “—if we weren’t crystal clear as to why we almost got divorced in the first place. We even went to a counsellor.”

 

At that, Chi-Chi gasped in shock. _Vegeta Ouji_ voluntarily going to a marriage counsellor?!

 

Bulma lifted her hand, her expression wry. “Though, that goes to your grave. Vegeta wants everyone to just think he fucked his way back into my good graces and that he’s some sort of crazy alpha male that I just couldn’t resist bending to his will. Which, fine, not a hundred percent inaccurate.”

 

Chi-Chi turned this information in her mind, her heart fluttering with fear. She wanted to try again with Goku but she was just so _scared…_ and she had no idea what Goku actually wanted. Yes, he was attracted to her, but… did he want to actually _be_ with her? The way she needed him to be?

 

She wasn’t sure if he had wanted to be with her even from the very beginning!

 

 _She_ had always been the one to pursue him. _She_ had asked him out. _She_ was the one who even dragged him to a jewelry store, picking out her own engagement ring. He hadn’t even asked for her hand! In retrospect, she cringed at her young, desperate self, who was just so crazy in love and eager to start her dream life with her dream man.

 

She had ignored all sense.

 

“Go talk to him. Find a time — _without the kids —_ and have that talk,” Bulma said seriously.

 

“You’re right. You’re right,” Chi-Chi said quietly. Bulma handed Chi-Chi her tumbler of whiskey, which Chi-Chi downed in one gulp. The liquid stung her throat.

 

Bulma walked over and picked up Chi-Chi’s cell phone and palmed it over Chi-Chi’s hand. Bulma crossed her arms intimidatingly, not unlike her brooding husband, and nodded toward the phone.

 

“Okay, so let me see you set it up.”

 

“What? Now?!”

 

“Yes, _now_. Just text him. Type, ‘Hey can I come over to your place this week?’ I’m waiting!”

 

“I can’t do that!”

 

“Yes, you can.”

 

Chi-Chi gaped at the phone, suddenly seized with terror. Bulma rolled her eyes and grabbed Chi-Chi’s device. Before she could understand what Bulma was doing, she heard the familiar _whooshing_ sound of a text being sent.

 

Chi-Chi shrieked, grabbing her phone back. “What did you do?!”

 

She looked down at the text.

 

 _Free Tues night? I want to come over. No kids. —_ Chi-Chi

 

“See? Not a big deal,” Bulma said smoothly.

 

“Bulma—!” Chi-Chi began but then she immediately got a text notification back.

 

 _Sounds like a plan. 7p?_ —Goku

 

Bulma tapped her foot impatiently, her lips twisted in amusement at Chi-Chi’s nervousness. Chi-Chi stared at the phone, not knowing what to do and wondering how she could weasel out of it while also contemplating going through with it.

 

Another text notification ping sounded.

 

 _Are we having dinner, too? Or…? —_ Goku

 

Chi-Chi looked at Bulma and at the phone, frozen with indecision. Bulma sighed and grabbed her phone again and texted.

 

 _Only if it’s your treat. x_ —Chi-Chi

 

Chi-Chi made to grab her phone back again but the heiress moved the phone away with a giggle.

 

“Bulma!” Chi-Chi exclaimed. “Stop being childish!”

 

“ _I’m_ being childish? You can’t ask Goku out for a silly dinner,” Bulma said, as she kept the phone out of reach. The phone pinged again and Chi-Chi finally managed to swipe the device back.

 

 _I can whip something up. :-) See you Tues. —_ Goku

 

 _And I guess tonight, too? See you when you pick up the kids. And Tues. —_ Goku

 

Bulma hovered over Chi-Chi’s shoulder. “There, done. See? Was that so hard?”

 

Chi-Chi groaned and she mimed choking Bulma in the air. Bulma grinned, clearly pleased.

 

“You owe me,” Bulma said in a sing-song voice.

 

“I haven’t gone over there yet. I may still have to kill you,” Chi-Chi said lightly.

 

Bulma gathered her friend in an enthusiastic hug. “Oh you love me.”

 

.

.

.


	13. Chapter 13

Chi-Chi was _not_ prepared for the flash of blonde she saw when she neared Goku’s home. She knew she was running maybe ten minutes early, but it was clearly _Launch_ going out the door, before disappearing down the block. She wasn’t prepared for the rising resentment she felt at watching the woman leave and the _gall_ of Goku having that woman over _knowing_ she was coming over soon!

 

She had the greatest urge to just turn around and drive back home, but based on Bulma’s persistent texts and encouragement not to back out, plus the reality that she _did_ need to have a talk with Goku, spurred her to continue parking up his driveway.

 

She gripped the bottle of wine she brought over at the doorway tightly, telling herself that she had no right to feel so jealous, especially when she had tried to date Lapis. This is why she was even over in the first place, to establish what Goku and she wanted out of each other.

 

Thinking of Lapis, she felt a twinge of regret. She thought back to their recent text exchange:

 

 _Not a problem, she said. No hold on him, she insisted. —_ Lapis

 

 _I am so so sorry. :-( —_ Chi-Chi

 

 _I don’t blame him, princess, lol. —_ Lapis

 

 _Guess he isn’t as stupid as he looks. —_ Lapis

 

 _:-( :-(_ —Chi-Chi

 

 _You guys clearly have unfinished business. So go finish it. —_ Lapis

 

 _Call me if you decide that means you’re free. Only for real, this time. —_ Lapis

 

 _But seriously. He has killed people. I’d rather not be disappeared ;-) —_ Lapis

 

She shook her head, clearing herself of the memory as the door opened.

 

Goku looked as handsome as ever. He was wearing that light orange button shirt again, the one from the photo shoot, but this time with the top three buttons undone, showing a delicious expanse of throat, and a tease of his chest.

 

“Hey, Chi-Chi, you look lovely,” Goku said with a soft smile, letting her in.

 

She _tried_ to go for casual, but she had put some effort in her makeup and worn a cotton sheath dress, rather than her usual t-shirt and jeans.

 

“You know, I thought I saw Launch...” Chi-Chi blurted out, unable to bottle it in.

 

Goku didn’t seem fazed as they made their way to the kitchen.

 

“Oh, yeah, she stopped by earlier.” He didn’t elaborate, his voice was calm and even.

 

He led her to the table and opened a chair for her. She was startled at his manners — he was not one for such formality — but sat down anyway.

 

She saw that the table was set for the two of them, with her at the head of the table, and his setting just on the right of hers. A small vase with a single rose was conspicuously in the middle of it all.

 

Oh my god, did he think this was a … date?

 

 _Wasn’t it?_ Chi-Chi thought in confusion.

 

“I know it isn’t much,” Goku said, sounding a little shy. He opened the oven to pull out a cast iron skillet with two cuts of steak and another cast iron skillet with potatoes. “But it’s the best I can do.”

 

He placed the skillets on top of a couple of circular cork mats at the centre of the table. He took off his oven mitts and set them aside to turn and grab a salad bowl from the counter.

 

“It looks great, Goku, thanks,” Chi-Chi said sincerely, shocked at the display. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected; honestly, she thought this was going to be more informal, and she wouldn’t have been surprised with take-out or scrambled eggs.

 

She supposed one could learn how to cook in seven years.

 

Next, he took her proffered bottle of wine and poured them each a glass. He sighed heartily as he sank down on the chair beside her, lifting the glass in salute. She lifted and clinked the glass, smiling at him tremulously before taking a sip.

 

“Okay, let’s eat!” Goku said boisterously, causing Chi-Chi to laugh.

 

They started to talk about each other’s days as they ate.

 

Goku spoke about the mundanity of corporate espionage — after he retired from the navy, he became a security and intelligence consultant for the government — and most of the time, all he tried to find was evidence of tax evasion or employee misconduct. Sometimes he spent days highlighting spreadsheets and not much else.

 

“I cannot imagine you grinding through something like that. It sounds so boring,” Chi-Chi said with a nose crinkle.

 

“Actually, even when I was deployed, half the time we just sat and waited. Read intel. Or stared at a _window_ for days. Then action for maybe ten minutes,” Goku said with a shrug. “Though, yeah, spreadsheets are still a long cry from that.”

 

“Well, I’m glad you chose Team Spreadsheets instead of SAIYAN Team Six. You have no idea how many times a knock on the door scared me back then,” Chi-Chi said.

 

Goku reached over and touched her forearm, squeezing lightly. “I told you I’d come home.”

 

“Yeah, but you couldn’t _promis_ e me that,” Chi-Chi said quietly. Goku’s lips tightened and he said nothing because he couldn’t deny that statement.

 

Chi-Chi put her fork down. This was a good time as any to broach the subject.

 

“Look. Goku, I wanted to come over here for a reason.”

 

She placed her hands on her lap, and Goku leaned back, looking pensive as he waited. She closed her eyes briefly. _Courage,_ she whispered to herself.

 

Oh, why was this so hard? She twisted the hands on her lap, biting her lip. Why couldn’t she just ask what she meant to him?

 

Why couldn’t she just ask if he wanted to try again?

 

“Is this a date?” Chi-Chi blurted out, immediately blushing at her words. Her thoughts were jumbled and that wasn’t exactly what she meant to say.

 

Goku blinked, his lips parting a few times before he furrowed his brows.

 

“Did you want it to be?”

 

Oh my god, Chi-Chi thought with growing horror. Did she read this wrong?

 

Embarrassment flooded her. She found herself standing, looking around for an exit, a way to escape the situation, as her already fragile courage crumbled beneath her.

 

Goku stood too, looking completely confused at the sudden change in her mood from relaxed to what seemed to be panic.

 

“Chi—”

 

“I, I have to...” Chi-Chi stammered, blinking rapidly as her mind simply told her _run, run away! Before he hurts you!_

 

He reached out for her as she turned to leave, tugging her toward him. “What’s wrong?”

 

“I’m sorry, I think I made a mistake,” Chi-Chi breathed, looking anywhere, everywhere, but him. But as she tried to move away, the grip on her wrist was steadfast and firm.

 

“Chi, I want to know what’s wrong. What mistake? This date?” Goku shook her arm slightly. “You were the one who asked to come by!”

 

“I _know_ , just, never mind. I should go,” Chi-Chi said. “Let me go.”

 

“No!”

 

She was startled enough by his tone to turn back toward him. The handsome planes of his face were tense, his dark eyes skewed in frustration.

 

“ _Stop_ running from me, dammit!” Goku ground out angrily, the first time he’d yelled at her in years.

 

It was a rare look on him, even more rare when directed toward her. So, seeing the frustration aimed her way, his normally cheerful voice raspy, stripped Chi-Chi’s resolve.

 

The stress leading up to this situation caught up to Chi-Chi and she felt her eyes flood with unshed tears. She sucked in a deep breaths, trying to calm herself to stem the moisture from escaping, but her body betrayed her.

 

Tears rolled down her cheeks like defiant symbols of her distress.

 

Goku cursed beneath his breath, his ire quickly replaced with concern as he dropped her wrist to cradle her face.

 

“Oh, no, stop. Chi, I hate it when you cry.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Chi-Chi hiccuped. “I...”

 

Whatever else she meant to say was swallowed under the pressure of his lips.

 

All coherent thought left Chi-Chi’s mind.

 

The initial gentleness of his touch quickly turned to more. Their lips moved like adventurers stumbling onto an oasis in the desert, drinking each other in like lifeblood. He tasted like wine and something inherently Goku, a taste she had almost forgotten. He was a contact high, and like a desperate addict, she couldn’t have enough.

 

Chi-Chi felt like she was drowning in him, drowning in sensation.

 

He tasted so good, felt so good.

 

She had missed this.

 

Missed him.

 

As they embraced each other passionately, Goku kissing away the salt from her cheeks, Chi-Chi felt them walking backward until her back hit the counter. He gripped her waist and she found herself launched onto the hard surface, the movement causing her breath to vanish with a whoosh. His strength always excited her, the way he could lift her like she was nothing. Even on a higher plane, his size still loomed over her. She felt engulfed by him.

 

He parted her legs and pulled her close, so she was essentially straddling his torso, the edges of her dress hiked all the way up her thighs.

 

This was fast. It was moving too fast, her mind fuzzily told her, but she ignored it as Goku gripped the softness of her hips with his impossibly large, warm hands. His hands caressed her sides, moving until he was cupping gentle swell of her bum, and he hummed in appreciation of her curves. The blatant desire he had for her body made her femininity flutter with pride.

 

She gasped when he lowered his head to lather attention on the soft crook of her neck. He nipped her gently, causing her to grip his shoulders reflexively.

 

“You drive me crazy,” he whispered raggedly. A thrill stole across Chi-Chi’s body.

 

But when his fingers ghosted the edge of her panties, Chi-Chi pulled back.

 

“We should stop,” Chi-Chi said breathlessly.

 

Goku’s eyes were wild and unfocused, his hair mussed — did she do that? — his breaths shallow as he contemplated her plea.

 

“Why?”

 

Chi-Chi blinked owlishly, unable to come up with a good reason.

 

He pulled her into another searing kiss.

 

“I… oh!” Chi-Chi gasped, as his hands trailed up and down her bare thighs.

 

She shuddered, feeling feverish, simultaneously disconnected and hyper aware, her nerve endings on fire. She clung to him, her fingers digging against his back.

 

“If you want me to stop, tell me to stop,” he breathed, his fingers trailing over her womanhood.

 

Her heart stuttered but she did nothing to still his movements, her breathing turning into gasps of pleasure as he found and teased her core, just above the thin fabric. Her eyes screwed shut, a quiet moan passed through her lips despite herself.

 

“All right,” Goku said, his husky voice tinged with laughter. “Say yes, then. Yes, _please_.”

 

His fingers began to play a medley, a tune that he knew by heart, even after all this time. Her body was sheet music, and he knew _exactly_ how to conduct this piece, all the way to its final crescendo.

 

She writhed under his ministrations, pushing against him and scrap of fabric that was in everyone’s way.

 

This time _she_ was the one who grabbed his face, to capture his bottom lip, her tongue teasing the inside of his mouth the way she _knew_ drove him crazy. She _knew_ this man, knew how to conduct this orchestra. The hand under her dress jerked as her tongue played a medley of its own.

 

She pulled back slightly to meet his passionate gaze.

 

“Yes, please,” she breathed.

 

Without another word, he whisked her off the counter.

 

They filled the rest of the evening with quiet affirmations.

 

.

.

.

 


	14. Chapter 14

“So, it’s… official now, you’re back together?”

 

Lazuli lifted a perfectly arched brow, as she sipped the martini in their private booth at the restaurant. Somehow, through a miracle, Bulma, Chi-Chi and Lazuli’s schedules aligned and all three were having one of their rare Friday Girls Night Out.

 

“I don’t know if _official_ is the right word,” Chi-Chi said carefully.

 

Both brows raised now. “Then what would you call it?”

 

“We’re seeing each other exclusively,” Chi-Chi said.

 

Bulma made a rude gesture with her fingers, simulating—

 

“Okay, that’s enough,” Chi-Chi said, slapping the blue-haired heiress’s hands.

 

“Huh, interesting,” Lazuli said, taking another small sip. “I’m taking credit for all of this by the way.”

 

Chi-Chi and Bulma both rounded at her, confused.

 

“ _I_ was the one who set her up with Lapis,” Lazuli said lazily, flicking an elegant finger. “ _And_ I also suggested she sleep with Goku if that didn’t work out. So. Mission accomplished.”

 

“Excuse you, _I’m_ the one who told her to get that deserted womb filled with something besides a mechanical device,” Bulma protested.

 

“I _cannot_ believe this conversation right now,” Chi-Chi grumbled. Both rich women simply laughed.

 

Chi-Chi sighed and looked at the striking blonde woman. “How is Lapis, by the way?”

 

Ice blue eyes narrowed infinitesimally. “Good. Why?”

 

Chi-Chi blinked at Lazuli. “What do you mean why? I’m just curious.”

 

Lazuli lifted a fine shoulder. “He’s not heartbroken if that’s what you’re really asking.”

 

Chi-Chi’s mouth flapped soundlessly. “That’s not…”

 

“Chill, girl. Seriously, he’s fine,” Lazuli went on, her lips twitching.

 

“So how long has it been now?” Bulma asked.

 

Chi-Chi paused to think about the date. “Maybe two and a half weeks?”

 

“Almost three weeks,” Bulma said. “And it’s not _official_ yet?”

 

Chi-Chi tilted her head thoughtfully. “Does it count as three weeks if we only see each other twice a week, more or less?”

 

“You mean you haven’t been riding that every night since you broke your curse?” There went that single brow lift. “I don’t know if that means you have incredible self control or if the ride is defective.”

 

Chi-Chi’s face heated. “Quality over quantity, thank you! Besides, how could I have sex every night when we live in different homes and our kids—”

 

“Night?” Lazuli chortled.

 

“So it’s always in the cloak of darkness, to hide their shame,” Bulma teased.

 

“There aren’t very many _options_ ,” Chi-Chi protested, crossing her arms.

 

“Movie theatre,” Bulma interrupted.

 

“Bathroom stall in the mall,” Lazuli said flatly.

 

“Quickie in the office, of course,” Bulma went on.

 

“Classic,” Lazuli said with a sage nod.

 

“All right, if Goku and I were as deviant as you two, I suppose we could fuck like rabbits every single day. Point made,” Chi-Chi said dryly.

 

“Oh my god, do you guys do it with scented candles and rose petals?” Lazuli clutched at her chest.

 

“I bet there’s saxophone in the background,” Bulma added.

 

“We don’t want to disturb the kids or make a big deal about anything until there’s something to make a big deal about, that’s all,” Chi-Chi broke in, annoyed.

 

Lazuli and Bulma exchanged glances.

 

“So you had that post-mortem I talked to you about?” Bulma asked finally.

 

Chi-Chi swallowed a giant mouthful of her own martini.

 

“It hasn’t come up yet,” Chi-Chi admitted, taking another generous sip.

 

Every time she and Goku began to have a serious conversation, emotions would run high and then they’d end up using sex as an outlet… the consequence being their actual issues were progressing at a snails pace.

 

But now they were at a good place, Chi-Chi was unsure she wanted to do anything to disturb this new peace. She wanted a little slice of this for a little longer. Something that didn’t involve the kids, real life, decisions—just a man and woman enjoying each other.

 

It made her feel slightly indulgent, and she hadn’t had something she could call all her own for a long time.

 

“Well it only took seven years for you guys to get to this point. Try not to make it another seven before you both start being real with each other,” Bulma said lightly, but there was a hint of seriousness in her tone.

 

Chi-Chi nodded soberly.

 

“Dende, enough with Chi-Chi’s messed up love life. Can we talk about who is going to win Roh Roh’s Drag Race?” Lazuli said with an even tone.

 

From that point, the women’s conversation shifted to lighter topics and other less dramatic updates.

 

.

.

.

 

Chi-Chi giggled at the pleasant buzz that flowed through her veins. A split-second decision had her tell the taxi driver a different address than her home and as she looked at the clock stating 1 am, she was sure everyone was already asleep.

 

She carefully took off her heels at the threshold and found the spare key in her purse as she quietly let herself in Goku’s home. It was dark and silent, indicating that her boys were asleep and so was her ex.

 

She’ll show Lazuli! _And_ Bulma! She could _totally_ be sexy and adventurous, too!

 

She tip toed gingerly, trying to be as quiet as mouse. It took more effort than normal with the alcohol coursing through her, but Chi-Chi was naturally graceful from all her martial arts training in her youth, so she was able to pad in quietly.

 

Her heart beat loudly in her chest. She stifled another giggle, as she crept toward Goku’s sleeping form, his back to her. He was going to be _so_ surprised! But it thrilled her to think she could just sneak in here, a former SAIYAN completely oblivious.

 

She was a night nymph, a succubus, and she was going to have her way with her man, then slip out before her kids were any the wiser.

 

She leaned over to touch his shoulder to rouse him from his slumber when she found herself yanked from her hovering position, her arm twisting behind her back as her legs were kicked down from under her, her knees buckling and dropping on to the floor.

 

“OW!” Chi-Chi exclaimed.

 

Immediately, her arm was released and she heard Goku gasp and curse behind her. It was odd to hear the harsh words come out of his mouth. He was _not_ one to curse normally.

 

“Chi-Chi, I thought you were a B&E!”

 

Chi-Chi groaned and massaged her sore knees. “What’s a B&E?”

 

Goku dropped down to the floor, his hands squeezing her limbs lightly. “Break and enter. I just felt someone over me, and… Dende, Cheech, I’m a _trained soldier._ You don’t _sneak up_ on someone like me! I could have broken your arm! Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

 

“Only my pride,” Chi-Chi said with another groan. Goku still seemed to be inspecting her quite intently, to see if she had broken into pieces. “I’m fine…”

 

“What’re you doing here sneaking around in the middle of the night?” Goku demanded, as he rose and helped her to her feet. Chi-Chi wobbled unsteadily and landed against his bare chest.

 

It was then she realized he was naked.

 

Right. He slept in the nude.

 

“Chi-Chi?”

 

His voice snapped her out of her daze. She shrugged weakly, her hands going to her cheeks.

 

“I don’t know. I wanted to do something sexy. I wanted to surprise you.”

 

He let out a breathy laugh, sweeping the bangs of her face as if getting a closer look would reveal her inner thoughts. He kissed her forehead.

 

“Sweetheart, you’re always sexy. You don’t need to do stuff like this. It’s a bit creepy! I was asleep, come on, what were you thinking?”

 

Chi-Chi’s face warmed with embarrassment. “Sorry, I guess I’m going to go now.”

 

“How? You didn’t drive here in your state, did you?” He sounded angry at the prospect.

 

“No, of course not!” Chi-Chi said. “I was...”

 

She trailed off. She hadn’t thought that far. She supposed her plan to sneak away wasn’t really thought through very well.

 

“Well you might as well stay,” Goku said, already helping Chi-Chi out of her top. She let him, swaying toward his form.

 

“Oh, but then the boys will know about us,” Chi-Chi said faintly, as she shimmied out of her skirt. So far, they’d managed to keep most of this under wraps since she never stayed the night and they’d only come together at _his_ house. She’d be back before bedtime.

 

“Will that be so bad?” Goku asked quietly as they sat down on the bed. She stared blearily at Goku as she fumbled with her bra clasp, pursing her lips as she thought about his question.

 

“I… guess not?” Chi-Chi said.

 

Goku pulled her down into the mattress, then into a spooning embrace.

 

He sighed as he kissed the back of her neck. “We can make some excuse that your taxi dropped you off at the wrong place…”

 

She shook her head slowly, her eyelids drooping. “No no… they’ll be happy about us, I think. We should tell them.”

 

“Are you sure? We can talk about it in the morning when you’ve sobered up a bit…”

 

“I’m so sleepy. So much for seducing you… sorry about that…”

 

He chuckled quietly behind her. “It’s okay, Chi. I’m… glad you wanted to, if that’s any consolation.”

 

“Of course I want to, you’re my man,” she said with another giant yawn, her mind shutting down.

 

She felt his arms tighten fractionally, before she fell deep into an alcohol-induced slumber.

 

.

.

.

 


	15. Chapter 15

She craned her head, hearing shuffling and whispers just outside the closed door.

 

“Huh? What? Mom’s here?” Gohan’s voice.

 

“Shh, shh, she’s still sleeping.” Goku.

 

“Mama?!” Goten’s high pitched exclamation was immediately shushed down by her eldest and her ex.

 

Ex.

 

Was he her ex any more?

 

She stared at the ceiling, wondering how to explain all of this to her kids when she still wasn’t sure herself. She gave a few more minutes to compose herself before putting on her bra and one of Goku’s oversized shirts in his closet. It was large enough to fall almost to her knees, reminding her how much larger he actually was in comparison. Still, it was decent enough to walk around in, she decided.

 

All three of her boys turning their head at her entrance and she felt hyper self-conscious and nervous.

 

“Hi Mom,” Gohan said, breaking the silence. Her eldest raised his brows, and she could see he was trying to school his features to be neutral, but couldn’t stem the curiosity in his eyes.

 

Meanwhile, Goten’s wide eyes were guileless, betraying no sense that anything was amiss. Was he too young to understand that this was out of the ordinary?

 

Goku was looking at her cautiously beneath his lashes, hesitant and unsmiling. It made heart lurch. She had never seen him unsure.

 

“Morning, guys,” Chi-Chi said.

 

“Dad’s making pancakes,” Goten declared pointing at the obvious.

 

“I see that,” Chi-Chi said running a hand through her hair. “What can I do?”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Goku said, waving at an empty chair.

 

Chi-Chi ignored him, already going into the fridge. “You guys can’t just eat a mountain of empty carbs and sugar. D’ya have bacon here? Fruit and veg?”

 

She answered her own question, pulling out a package of bacon, a carton of eggs and a half-opened bag of spinach. She wasn’t ready to have the “the talk” with her kids yet so she went through the motions of what a normal morning would be like.

 

Goku quietly pointed out where all the kitchen items were, and she set off to make a small omelette while putting the bacon in a neat row on a flat sheet. To be honest, Chi-Chi was surprised that his kitchen was this well stocked, indicating that he cooked regularly enough.

 

She’d thought their little dinner at a few weeks ago was an anomaly.

 

He never cooked a moment during their marriage. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn’t have believed he knew how to make pancakes, let alone turn on the stove.

 

Again, she thought to herself, a lot _ha_ _d_ changed in seven years.

 

The only noise besides their breakfast making was Goten’s happy chatter. Something about a new cartoon he was obsessed with and whatever video game Trunks had that he didn’t, leaving Chi-Chi to nod placatingly.

 

It was hard to concentrate on what her son was saying when another conversation seemed to be happening at the same time.

 

No words were needed. There was the slight brush of his hand on her back, when Goku leaned over to grab a spatula to flip the pancakes. Her tapping his hip lightly so he could move aside briefly for her to check how the bacon was doing in the oven. His fingers lingering over hers when she handed the boys empty plates to be stacked.

 

While Chi-Chi finished the omelette, Goku set the table for all four of them.

 

At that point, Gohan couldn’t restrain himself and broke into a full grin. He wasn’t looking at them at all, pretending he was engrossed in his phone, but she knew that Gohan was pleased his family was together.

 

 _She_ was pleased.

 

She swallowed, taking a deep breath.

  
Was this was too much, too soon?

 

As she brought the plated omelette over, Goku hovered over a chair and gestured for her to sit. She blinked, silently accepting the gallant gesture. It was just like that dinner… He’d never been so polite. He’d never been so courteous to her. Heck, she was surprised he even knew that these gestures existed.

 

Goku helped her push the chair in more comfortably.

 

“Thank you,” Chi-Chi said, breaking the silence, briefly touching the hand behind her chair.

 

“Look at all this food!” Goten exclaimed, completely oblivious to everything going around him. “I’m so glad mom’s here!”

 

“Me, too,” Goku said quietly.

 

“So you might be wondering why your mom’s here,” Chi-Chi began as breakfast wound down.

 

Gohan lowered his phone, sensing that this was the time to pay attention. Goten simply angled his head, his mouth still full of food. Goku caught Chi-Chi’s eye, his lips twisting into a small smile.

 

“Sleepover,” Goten piped up, a few pancake crumbs flying out of his mouth.

 

Chi-Chi gaped at her youngest, her cheeks reddening. “What’s that baby?”

 

“Like when I stay over at Aunty Bulma’s,” Goten went on in between bites, eyes large. “When Trunks and I want to play games all night. Aunty Bulma and Uncle Vegeta play different games at night, though.”

 

“Oh my _god,_ ” Gohan said quietly, sounding embarrassed and amused at the same time.

 

Chi-Chi’s jaw went slack, her eyes meeting Goku’s. He looked completely flabbergasted at Goten’s ramblings. He said nothing, simply raising his hands helplessly.

 

“Aunty Bulma said that I can’t play those games until I’m older,” Goten said with a pout.

 

“Your aunty is _right_ ,” Chi-Chi exclaimed, her voice raising in pitch. She was going to _kill_ Bulma next time she saw her.

 

“Your mom and I might have, uh, more sleepovers soon,” Goku blurted out without preamble.

 

Chi-Chi closed her eyes in mortification. Meanwhile Gohan lowered his forehead onto the edge of the dining table, like he was trying to disappear.

 

“Can I be _excused_ please?” Gohan said to the floor.

 

“Um, Gohan…” Chi-Chi began hesitantly.

 

He turned his head while still on the edge of the dining table, his face pink. “It’s fine, Mom. I’m glad. You two are trying. Let’s not draw this out before Goten explains what Uncle Vegeta and Aunty Bulma consider ‘games.’”

 

“They play hide and seek a lot,” Goten piped up.

 

“Okay, I’m going to do my homework now,” Gohan declared, getting up and taking his empty plate to put to the sink.

 

As Chi-Chi began to gather the empty plates, Goku grinned at her widely.

 

“Well, that went well, didn’t it?”

 

.

.

.

 

Goku insisted he do the dishes which disconcerted Chi-Chi. In the end, they collaborated with her washing and him drying. After, Chi-Chi tried to beg off, since this was technically Goku’s weekend she was encroaching on.

 

“I don’t mind,” Goku said immediately, then quickly added, “If you don’t mind. If you don’t have any other plans for the weekend.”

 

“I’m sure Gohan—” Chi-Chi began.

 

“Nah, I just planned to do some homework,” her eldest said quickly. He’d come back into the room with his books as he preferred to spread them on the kitchen table than in his bedroom floor.

 

“I want to play video games,” her youngest added.

 

At that, Goku inclined his head. “We don’t have plans until the evening when I drop Gohan at Videl’s to finish that project—”

 

“Project?” Chi-Chi interrupted, her eyebrows raised suspiciously. “What project?”

 

“You know about it,” Gohan grumbled his face glowing red. “That history project. It’s a partner assignment.”

 

“And this project can’t be done during the _day?”_

 

“Can I play video games?” Goten interrupted. Gohan took that opportunity to bolt once more.

 

“Yes of course—” Goku started.

 

“After your homew—” Chi-Chi began.

 

Goku and Chi-Chi looked at each other.

 

“Whatever your Dad says,” Chi-Chi said, finally. It was his weekend after all.

 

She shouldn’t even _be_ here.

 

Goku looked her for another beat before ruffling Goten’s hair. “How about one hour of homework? Then games?”

 

“But _Dad—”_

 

“ _Two_ hours of homework,” he said firmly but cheerfully. Goten looked stricken, clamping his mouth down lest the number of homework hours increased. Chi-Chi blinked, impressed. Goku had definitely become less of a pushover for their kids these past few years…

 

Goten jumped of his chair, pouting, and headed to his room.

 

“You know, I should go home,” Chi-Chi said finally as she watched their youngest close his door.

 

“Chi-Chi—”

 

“I need a change of clothes and… and maybe some space,” she added, looking anywhere but him.

 

He remained silent and rocked back on his heels.

 

“Look,” Goku said finally, lifting his hands. “No pressure. Whatever you want.”

 

Chi-Chi frowned simultaneously grateful and confused. Did she want him to argue with her? With a jolt she realized, maybe she did.

 

Maybe she wanted him to beg her to stay, to never leave… but that was never Goku’s style.

 

Chi-Chi nodded slowly and headed back to his room. She felt like a college student, slipping on the outfit from the previous evening, doing a walk of shame. She was about to gather her purse when Goten walked out of his room.

 

“Where you going, mama?”

 

“Um, mama wasn’t smart and didn’t bring a weekend bag,” Chi-Chi said, her mind racing quickly. “I have to go home, shower, and get clean clothes.”

 

Goten nodded sagely. “Okay, see you when you get back.”

 

Goku walked forward, his hand already behind his head in an apologetic gesture. “Buddy, your mom—”

 

“I’ll be back in a couple hours. You better have your homework done,” Chi-Chi added quickly, loathe to crush her son’s assumptions, considering the lovely breakfast they all just had as a family.

 

Goku and Chi-Chi shared a look. He said nothing, simply nodding.

 

Chi-Chi groaned to herself when she got to her car. She just so wanted to see her family happy, but she and Goku had not set any sort of rules what their rekindling relationship meant for them _all_.

 

Goten ultimately did her a favor since she was determined to chat with Goku once she got back.

 

Goku’s grin was wide when he saw her return with a weekend bag a couple hours later. He took the bag from her enthusiastically but his smile faltered when she didn’t return his expression.

 

“Is there… a place we can talk privately?” Chi-Chi said.

 

Goku scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, sure. The yard? Let me just put this away and I’ll meet you there?”

 

Chi-Chi nodded briefly, her hands twisting as she made her way to the patio. Goku was back in short order, the patio doors swishing closed with a definitive click.

 

Chi-Chi took a deep breath, “Goku—”

 

But before she could say anything more, he’d cupped her face and captured her lips softly. It wasn’t a kiss of passion, not like the ones they shared more recently. But the gesture was sweet… heartfelt. It still made her body tingle with anticipation, her heart leaping in her throat.

 

“I wanted to do that all morning,” he whispered.

 

She licked her lips, her lashes fluttering. How did he always manage to unbalance her?

 

She took a deliberate step back, letting Goku’s hands fall away from her face. She flashed him a tremulous smile and tried to think of what she had wanted to say originally. They were long overdue for a serious talk, and now their kids knew that they were trying again, they owed it to their sons not to mess it up.

 

“What do you want from me?” Chi-Chi said finally.

 

Goku blinked, clearly not expecting her to start with such a loaded question. His face immediately sobered, his eyes narrowed seriously.

 

“Only what you’re willing to give.”

 

Chi-Chi’s brows furrowed. That was… such a vague statement. She tried again.

 

“Where do you see us going?” Chi-Chi asked bluntly.

 

Goku sighed and he ran his hand through his hair. “Look. I don’t know. I know what I want, but it really doesn’t matter if that’s not where you see us going.”

 

“Can you actually give me a straight answer for once in your life?” Chi-Chi exclaimed, then checked herself as she found her voice getting louder at each word. “Why can’t you tell me where you see us going?”

 

“Why don’t _you_ tell me?”

 

“I asked you first!”

 

He looked up, the way he normally did when he was frustrated, like he was counting to ten. Finally, he flashed her a small but tight smile.

 

“Chi, I want you in my life. That’s what I want. It’s really as simple as that. As to where I see us going, well, I can’t say. Do you want to be with me?”

 

“Yes,” Chi-Chi said sincerely.

 

His smile relaxed and his eyes softened at her immediate answer. He took a tentative step forward and gathered her in a loose embrace.

 

“Okay. Then we can start with that, right?” Goku said into her hair.

 

“We can’t just take it day to day, though,” Chi-Chi said into his chest. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him lightly. She loved how solid he felt; it made her feel steady. “I feel like… we’re so bad at this. I’m worried about how this will affect our kids.”

 

She felt his chest rise beneath her cheek as he sighed. “Me, too.” He paused. “I guess we should just stay together forever, then. For the kids.”

 

His voice was light and teasing, but she heard a thread of seriousness in it.

 

She felt simultaneously happy and scared to death of it.

 

They stayed silent for a bit, enjoying each other’s warmth, before Chi-Chi decided to smash the peace once again:

 

“We need to talk about what happened seven years ago.”

 

.

.

.

 


	16. Chapter 16

_Almost eight years ago…_

 

Chi-Chi was having a bad day.

 

She woke up nauseous and had heaved empty spittle into the toilet. She wondered what it was she ate the day before that made her feel so off. They had chicken… it was cooked well. She couldn’t have poisoned herself…?

 

At any rate, it wasn’t a good start to her morning.

 

Next, she finally had a chance to look at the growing pile of bills on the counter. After paying the majority off and looking at the meager remains of their family’s bank account, she had a small panic attack about how they were going to handle the following month. Would she have to go work full time at Ox’s restaurant for a while? Maybe Bulma’s company had a part-time position she could take?

 

She cautiously looked over at the savings bond she started for Gohan’s college fund, and cursed herself for even thinking for a split second into dipping into it.

 

Speaking of her young boy, Gohan had come home in tears. Something about a headache, school being hard… somehow, her normally sweet and bright boy’s confidence had been shaken. She blamed herself, since she started to work part-time to help pay the bills, she hadn’t been around to help him with homework as much as she’d like. Goku’s military stipend wasn’t exactly the most generous.

 

And until recently, Goku had been overseas, so he couldn’t help in person.

 

Not that he would even want to or tried when he _was_ home, she thought to herself furiously.

 

Goku had only been home for a month, and Chi-Chi felt like she had even _more_ to do. More to cook, more to clean… the dishes hadn’t been washed from the night before since she was too exhausted to do so, and clearly Goku hadn’t taken it upon himself to tackle it.

 

So it was with heavy resentment mid-afternoon that she was arm deep in dishes that needed to be washed so she could actually have pots and pans to use for dinner…

 

She was racked with another wave of nausea and she told herself, “Please, not now. I can’t afford to get sick and miss work...” Maybe one of Gohan’s classmates had the flu… _oh god_ , she didn’t need both herself and her son to be sick at the same time!

 

Goku was gone for some meeting related to his last mission and tour; he was away all day… she needed to speak to him to talk about a plan of action regarding their bills. Since he was going to be staying home for a bit, perhaps it was time to start sending out his resume?

 

He still wasn’t finished his business degree, especially since he was trying to complete it via correspondence and in-between all the missions. Still, he told her he should be on track to getting it done this year, so no time like the present to just get in the interview queue. She’d already lined up some potential places he would qualify for…

 

So, when Goku finally came home with that tell-tale grave expression on his face, Chi-Chi had lost it almost immediately.

 

He didn’t even open his mouth before Chi-Chi shrieked, “No. _No._ You just got home. You can’t just—”

 

“Chi, I have no choice,” he said, with an edge of impatience.

 

“ _What_ are you talking about? It’s easy. It’s spelled, _N-O._ Say it with me,” Chi-Chi seethed.

 

“I _tried,_ Chi-Chi… but this is a really important mission. Thousands of lives are at stake! I know the region and the conflict, and I agree, they can’t do it without me,” Goku said in a pleading tone. He grasped her arm and she shook it off angrily.

 

“The fate of the world doesn’t rest in your hands,” Chi-Chi exclaimed. “You’re just _one_ man. There must be someone else… you can’t do this to our family! To _me!_ ”

 

“Mom?” Gohan shuffled into the room, looking anxious at his yelling parents.

 

“Gohan, yes, honey, what is it?” Chi-Chi tried to keep her voice calm, but she shook with the effort, as tears threatened to rise. She was near the end of her rope.

 

“I… I heard yelling…” the young boy began hesitantly, eyeballing his mother and father.

 

“Sorry, Gohan, don’t worry about it,” Goku broke in, with a strained smile. “Your mom and I are just…”

 

“Go to your room, baby, it’s fine. I’m fine,” Chi-Chi said as soothingly as possible. He raised impossibly large eyes toward her, then flicked a look toward his dad that looked conflicted, like he was mad at Goku but wasn’t quite sure why. Her heart squeezed. Her son was so protective of her.

 

After a beat, Gohan nodded and shuffled away.

 

Once he was gone, Chi-Chi jerked her head toward the spare bedroom and he followed her so they could close the door and talk more privately than in the openness of the living room.

 

She took a deep, steadying breath and tried to reason with Goku.

 

“Goku. I need you _home_.”

 

“I _know_ that, and after this last mission, I should be able—”

 

“That’s what you said the last time,” Chi-Chi hissed, her voice straining to keep low as to not alarm her son.

 

“I’m doing this for _us_ , Chi-Chi, why can’t you see that?” His voice was full of despair, but Chi-Chi was unmoved.

 

“I can’t do this, Goku, I can’t do this alone,” Chi-Chi gasped. “I’m… I’m barely hanging on as it is. I need you _here_. You can’t go. You just can’t. I don’t care if that makes me selfish, because I don’t care about the greater good, okay? I…”

 

“Just a little while longer, Chi, I _promise.”_ He made a move to touch her but she flinched away.

 

“You can’t promise me anything. You can’t even promise me you can come home in one piece,” Chi-Chi got out, her throat closing up with tears. “I… if you go, I swear. I’m done.”

 

Goku blinked rapidly. “What are you saying?”

 

“I’m _done_ , Goku. Do you want me to spell it out? You won’t have a wife to come home to if you leave again!” Chi-Chi burst out.

 

“You don’t mean that.” His voice was hurt and quiet.

 

“We’re apart more than we’ve ever been together. I’m _basically_ a single mom already, why not make it official?” she lashed out wildly.

 

He shook his head firmly. “You’re upset, I get it. Don’t be like this. I’ll come home, like I always have. I get a _raise_ for this. It just makes _sense_ for our family in the long run. I have to do this. Just hold on for a little while longer—”

 

“Does it even matter what I want?” Chi-Chi breathed out in disbelief. “Why even ask me? Hell, why even _tell_ me? Just go. Just go and play hero and save the world. Or die. Whatever. I don’t care.”

 

She stared at him hard, wondering how it was possible to hate someone she loved so much.

 

His gaze sharpened at her icy glare. A muscle in his jaw ticked.

 

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that. You’re upset. But I have to go, Chi-Chi.”

 

Chi-Chi laughed mirthlessly, baffled and hurt. “Don’t you care about us? At all? What about your son?”

 

“Everything I do is _for the both of you_. All I’ve ever wanted was to do right by you,” Goku said shakily.

 

Tears leaked out of Chi-Chi’s eyes. She was tired. Just so _so_ tired… “When do you go?”

 

“… next week.”

 

She gave out a strangled cry. “You’ve only been back a _month_ , Goku!”

 

“This is time sensitive—”

 

“I can’t do this,” Chi-Chi stated dully, as she wiped the stray tears that streaked down her cheeks. “I don’t care where you go, but I want you out of this house. _Now._ ”

 

Oh, she hated him.

 

“Chi-Chi—”

 

“I have a son that needs me. I have stuff to do. I don’t have time to take care of your bullshit too,” Chi-Chi said. She was so angry, she felt like she would spontaneously burst into flame.

 

At this point, she hated him with all her heart.

 

She flashed him a look that would wither a weaker person, but he kept his gaze steady and firm.

 

“If you don’t leave, then _I’m_ going to pack up with Gohan. But I was hoping you wouldn’t be so selfish to put _u_ s out. So. Your choice.”

 

Goku opened his mouth to argue, but then his mouth tightened with frustration.

 

He strode out of the spare room without another word.

 

.

.

.

 

Four weeks had passed since Goku packed his bags and left the house. Since she hadn’t heard from him, she expected that he had left for that damned mission of his… she had hardened her heart and told herself she didn’t care. She didn’t.

 

But her sickness persisted, and with dawning horror, she began to recognize the symptoms. The first night Goku was back, they’d joined together in a desperate flurry of limbs and pent up passion. She had missed him _so_ much, and had forgotten that with the lack of regular contact, she’d been inconsistent with taking the pill…

 

Chi-Chi blinked at the plus sign staring back at her on the white stick. She looked around at the empty bathroom as if she were on a twisted prank show, that a man would come out of nowhere and yell SURPRISE and then she would sue, but at least she wouldn’t be pregnant.

 

But this was the third white stick she tried. One gave her two lines. This one gave her a plus sign.

 

She threw the one that said “YES” across the wall, and it bounced once, a quiet clatter.

 

Slowly, she felt herself sink to her knees.

 

This wasn’t a dream.

 

She buried her face in her hands, her sobs echoing in the cavern of bathroom.

  
She was pregnant and alone.

 

.

.

.

 

_Now…_

 

Goku’s arms fell away from Chi-Chi. He took a step back, regarding her with such a serious look, Chi-Chi almost burst out laughing from nervousness. She clasped her hands together and tried to keep his gaze, which was hard, because every nerve in her body told her to bolt.

 

“We don’t need to hash out everything right now,” Chi-Chi said quickly. “But… if we want _this_ to work, we can’t pretend that everything is okay. We can’t pretend the last decade didn’t happen.”

 

He ran his hand down his face and covered his mouth, like he was trying to stem a flood of words, and barely at that. Finally:

 

“No, we can’t pretend.”

 

She nodded, bitting her lip. “So…”

 

“Maybe we need to keep the harder stuff when it’s just you and me. Not when the kids are just on the other side of the wall.”

 

Chi-Chi bit her thumb nervously. “O… okay. What’s, um, what’s _not_ hard _?_ ”

 

Goku laughed slightly. “You have a point.”

 

“Okay… how about this. We both agree we’re total shit at this… this talking stuff,” Chi-Chi said with a rueful smile. “So. Let’s work on that first? Maybe we should have a super uncomfortable date once a week where we… uh, pick a topic of the day.”

 

“Like therapy. But without a shrink,” Goku said with a twist of his lips.

 

“Um… do you think maybe we need one? A… a therapist, I mean?” Chi-Chi asked, her cheeks blooming. She had gone to one herself during the dark days after their divorce, but that was alone. It felt different thinking about going to someone _together…_

 

Goku rubbed the back of his neck. “If you want, sure. I have no problem with that. But maybe let’s try a few times ourselves just to get on the same page…?”

 

“B...Bulma said she and Vegeta went to one,” Chi-Chi said tentatively. Goku inclined his head, amused.

 

“I know. I heard an earful from him,” Goku said.

 

Her lips parted in surprise. “You did? I mean… _Vegeta_ talked to you about it?”

 

“Well, who else did he know that went through a divorce?” he pointed out matter-of-factly.

 

That made sense.

 

“Yeah, but he hates your guts, Goku.”

 

At that, he laughed. “ _Nah_ , Chi. SAIYANs stick together.”

 

“I never would have thought someone like him…”

 

“Vegeta’s a big softie, don’t let that grumpy face fool ya,” Goku added with genuine mirth.

 

“Bulma said it helped. What’d Vegeta say?”

 

“Mm, he complained mostly. Insulted the doctor, ranted, the usual.”

 

“Of course.” Chi-Chi wouldn’t have expected any less.

 

“But Bulma dropped the proceedings, so…”

 

They both looked at each other silently.

 

“Okay, is this enough adulting for now?” Chi-Chi said with a nervous laugh. Goku looked relieved that Chi-Chi wanted to move on… at least for the day.

 

“I am totally on board with that,” Goku declared.

 

Impulsively, Chi-Chi went on her tip toes and brushed her lips against his. Goku seemed surprised for a moment before he cradled her head with his hand and turned it into a proper kiss.

 

When they broke apart, Goku said, “Can we end all weird chats like this, please?”

 

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s pretty obvious that a SAIYAN is based off of a US Navy SEAL. Keep that in mind when you think about Goku’s steadfastness about his duty. Something like this: <https://navyseals.com/nsw/seal-code-warrior-creed/> would be something he lived and understood. So, um, don’t hate him? :)


	17. Chapter 17

Chi-Chi was in a very good mood.

 

Reconnecting with Goku seemed to be headed on the right path. She had secured Gohan to babysit his brother for the night on Thursday, so it allowed them their “one awkward night” to hash out important details… while also being able to spend the night.

 

She stifled a giggle. Spending the night, _finally_.

 

When they were still keeping things low key, she would sneak off back to her house after a little indulgence before the boys went to bed. She felt like back when she was a teenager and sneaking into Goku’s house and vice versa. Though, she had saved herself until marriage, that didn’t mean they both didn’t fool around when they were younger.

 

But now she could sleep over… that felt adult. It was nice to actually stay in bed for the rest of the evening after making love. What a concept!

 

Meanwhile, her work week was going really well — she had a couple of interesting catering gigs that went swimmingly… literally. One was for a swim meet, which included a bit of eye candy, so Chi-Chi couldn’t complain. Another was for another “lady’s who lunch” set and apparently that was the demographic Bulma wanted her to hit for the ad campaign.

 

After Bulma and her team figured out the angle they wanted to go with due to the successful shoot with Goku, they wanted to target rich ladies that wanted to impress. That meant amping up the romance and sex. Instead of the wedding market, they were going for the bombastic engagement setups that was trending these days.

 

“Lower overhead, higher revenue,” Bulma had explained.

 

Goku had politely refused to sign the photo rights due to security reasons; while many SAIYANs often went to become famous in their post-Navy career and lived a public life, considering his past special operations and his _current_ security position, it wasn’t wise to risk exposure.

 

So, on another Wednesday, Chi-Chi was at the studio once more. Bulma had found a decent looking catalogue model with dark hair to stand in for Goku. Chi-Chi found him pleasant enough, though a bit egotistical and more than a little bit cheesy.

 

But it _was_ rather awkward trying to get into the playful, sexy poses that she and Goku had done weeks earlier.

 

“It’s happening again,” Daiz sighed. “None of these feel natural. He’s fine, she’s not.”

 

“Again. _Not_ a model,” Chi-Chi said with annoyance, but her good mood was hardly affected.

 

“You’re beautiful enough to be one, babe,” her Goku stand-in, Raditz, drawled. Chi-Chi felt if her eyes could roll any farther, it would go through her skull.

 

Bulma tapped her lips. “Something’s off… Let’s take ten, let me think about this for a minute.”

 

Chi-Chi sighed and reached for her smartphone while everyone dispersed. As she scrolled through her social media accounts, she suddenly got a text.

 

 _Little birdie told me you’re in Studio A. —_ Lapis

 

Chi-Chi blinked. Lapis! She hadn’t heard from him in weeks! Probably not since the hiking incident…

 

 _What birdie and how’d you know? —_ Chi-Chi

 

 _Look behind you. Chirp chirp! —_ Lapis

 

Chi-Chi blinked and did just that. Just a few steps away was Lapis, waving at her with amusement.

 

“Hey princess, fancy seeing you here!” Lapis said cheerily.

 

She was pleased to see absolutely no awkwardness emanating from his handsome face. Same old Lapis, from before _and_ after their one-and-a-half dates. She was happy that they could continue as they were, as friends.

 

“What’re you doing here?” Chi-Chi asked warmly.

 

He turned slowly in front of her. “Like the uniform? The park insisted I should be its spokesperson. Who am I to argue? I’m at Studio B next door taking all your typical brochure shots.”

 

His uniform didn’t look far from what he would typically wear, though he was in head-to-toe green. Perhaps the rugged green jacket with the park patches adorned were uniform-like, but the dark olive shirt and cargo pants also looked like something he would wear out normally.

 

“Oh, wait for it…” Lapis said, and out came a brown, leather fedora with the park’s logo emblazoned on it. He had been holding it behind his back. He waved his hand and dramatically placed it top of his head. “Hmmm?”

 

Chi-Chi couldn’t help but giggle at the ridiculous display.

 

“A far cry from jeans and underwear,” Chi-Chi said, referring to a couple of his famous old shoots.

 

“Yeah, this is the most clothed I’ve been photographed in a long while. How’s _your_ shoot going?” Lapis asked, dipping the tip of his hat.

 

“Awful. I am _so so_ bad at this,” Chi-Chi groaned.

 

“I can’t believe that. With that face?”

 

“Believe it, Tin Man,” Bulma said, materializing from the side. That was Vegeta’s nickname for the park ranger, referring to the heartless way he discarded women, and it seemed Bulma was too happy to adopt the monicker too.

 

Lapis, as usual, was unfazed.

 

“I need proof that this angel face can’t vogue with the best of them.”

 

Bulma whipped out her tablet, which had some of the day’s earlier shots on it with Raditz. True, they were essentially exact replicas of the shots with Goku, but there was something _off_ in almost all of them. Raditz looked perfectly fine, seemed quite in-character; but Chi-Chi, while posed as she had in the other photos, looked like she had been copy-pasted and hastily Photoshopped into the same frame.

 

Lapis gave an exaggerated grimace, but his eyes twinkled with humor. “Okay, maybe they look a little _disconnected_.”

 

“That is a polite way of saying she looks like she’d rather be anywhere than here,” Bulma drawled. “But, _look_ , this is how her shoot with Goku went.”

 

Bulma flicked her hand and the shot with Chi-Chi feeding Goku the strawberry materialized on screen. Chi-Chi felt her cheeks warm at people scrutinizing what she was beginning to feel like was just a private photo of herself with her man.

 

Lapis gave Chi-Chi a sidelong glance. “Huh. I never stood a chance, did I?”

 

Chi-Chi’s words stuck in her throat. “I, uh—”

 

“Jokes,” Lapis said with a small wink. “Anyway, if she can pull that out with the right _atmosphere,_ then what’s wrong today is the _environment_.”

 

Lapis looked around with a genuine grimace this time. “Dende, these commercial shoots are just so _lifeless._ There’s no music here right now, no real atmosphere or energy.” He turned to Bulma. “Did you have Chi-Chi do some drills?”

 

Bulma blinked.

 

“Drills?”

 

He stared at Bulma silently for a beat.

 

“You’re friends with a _two_ former models,” Lapis said flatly, with a small eye roll. “Never occurred to you to ask us how to get an amateur to relax?”

 

“Well, shit, never thought about it that way,” Bulma said. “What do you propose?”

 

“Come on, let’s put some music on, this should have been obvious,” Lapis went on, looking around. “Someone must have a portable speaker around here! A dock! Something with Bluetooth…?”

 

Bulma made a finger turning gesture then pointed twice toward Lapis, and snapped, like it was formal sign language to the buzzing assistants that meant: “Listen to this man.”

 

Somehow, someone found an external speaker and Lapis made quick work with connecting his phone to it. He scrolled through his music and put on a Latin dance playlist. Chi-Chi laughed when he started jumping up and down like a boxer before a fight, shaking his arms and craning his neck.

 

“What in the world are you doing?” Chi-Chi exclaimed.

 

“Warming up. C’mon, you too,” Lapis said with a wide smile. He gestured at everyone around them, who looked at Lapis oddly. “Dende, you’re all so uptight. Everyone listen to the music.”

 

Everyone merely gaped at him like he was a completely foreign entity, and Lapis rolled his eyes again, and was totally unashamed of his extroverted display. Abruptly, he turned and somehow had honed in on Chi-Chi’s makeup artist Helles, who was watching Lapis move with some amusement.

 

“I know _you_ know how to dance,” Lapis said with such a blatantly heated gaze toward the beautiful lady, as he extended a hand toward her. Helles merely quirked one side of her lips. He didn’t wait for further prompting before grasping the woman’s hand, and immediately pulled her into a small dance.

 

Chi-Chi could only stare. Wow. Her makeup artist had been _so_ blasé the entire time she’d interacted with her, but as she moved with Lapis, she could see the woman’s countenance melt. She had always looked at Lapis as a harmless friend… though she knew he had that “lady killer” reputation, it was truly a sight to see him channel that energy and see it _work._

 

At this point, Raditz had come over and was looking at the antics around him. Some of the crew had begun to dance, too, either with each other or simply bouncing to the fun music. Bulma, meanwhile, looked a little lost at what seemed to be a spontaneous dance party.

 

Raditz shrugged and then extended a hand toward Chi-Chi. She laughed and placed her hand into his.

 

And Chi-Chi found herself salsa-ing in the middle of the afternoon.

 

“Take some of the strawberries!” Chi-Chi heard the photographer Daiz yell over the music. She did as she was told and she shook a handful of her berries in her hands like they were maracas, laughing all the while.

 

“This is ridiculous!” Chi-Chi exclaimed, but was having the time of her life.

 

“Eat some, play around, give some to Raditz,” Daiz went on, throwing out one suggestion on top of the other as the crew danced around them, and she and her new photo partner started to toss strawberries at each other playfully, in between all the whirling and dancing.

 

“This is perfect!” she heard Bulma shout. “Lapis, you’re a genius!”

 

During all the merriment, Lapis and Raditz had switched partners and Chi-Chi was now twirling and moving around with Lapis. She giggled as Lapis took off his park ranger jacket so he was just in his olive t-shirt.

 

He whirled her around dramatically, and he was suddenly behind her. She found her arms crossed against her chest, as he swayed behind her side by side to the tune. She closed her eyes and moved along to the music, letting the atmosphere wash over her.

 

She craned her neck to look up at Lapis with amusement, when she saw his eyes shift and drop to look at her mouth. Her eyes widened fractionally, and before she knew it, he’d closed the gap between them.

 

The kiss was over before it had even begun, and he quickly twirled her out and dropped her hand. She caught a disconcerted look flit over his face, but that was almost instantly replaced with his usual teasing smile and a wink, like nothing had happened.

 

Chi-Chi could only gape at him, speechless, before Raditz had swept over and reclaimed her as his dance partner, while Lapis continued onward with Helles and off the stage.

 

She looked around as Raditz danced with her. She wondered if anyone else had noticed. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the impromptu dance party and were all sharing strawberries amongst each other. Even Bulma seemed to be bobbing her head at the music now, as she looked over the photographer’s shoulder.

 

Bulma didn’t seem to have noticed anything happen… but the gesture _had_ only lasted a second.

 

Lapis continued to act as if he hadn’t just stolen a kiss. He was now talking animatedly to one of the young female interns, who was hanging onto every word.

 

Chi-Chi frowned, wondering if she was worried for nothing. Was she just too old-fashioned? Regardless, she made a mental note to talk to him after even if it was overkill, to make it clear that she was _not_ cool with that type of flirting.

 

“ _Safe like a pit of vipers”_ Bulma had said.

 

Chi-Chi was now beginning to wonder if that was true, after all.

 

Chi-Chi never managed to catch Lapis after the photo shoot wound down. Eventually, he’d disappeared in the chaos and they all got swept up with the rest of the logistics of the shoot. She tried to catch Bulma to ask her if she was simply overreacting, but Bulma had brushed her off with a quick kiss to the cheek and told her she had to run back to the lab before Chi-Chi got a word in edgewise.

 

Perhaps she could just text him briefly, so her feelings were in black and white. Clear. She only liked him as a friend and out of respect, to keep any teasing _verbal_ only.

 

As she contemplated what to type, she received a different text message.

 

 _Can’t wait to see you. —_ Goku

 

She bit her lip and smiled.

 

 _Me, too. —_ Chi-Chi

 

 _Tonight?_ —Goku

 

Chi-Chi pursed her lips. Was there any good reason to say no? Her children already knew about them. She hadn’t seen him since Sunday… Yes, they had their planned date the next day, but she wouldn’t really mind seeing him sooner.

 

 _Come for dinner._ —Chi-Chi

 

 _You drive a hard bargain, but okay. :-) —_ Goku

 

Chi-Chi smiled as she packed up from the photo shoot, the issue with Lapis flying out of her mind as she looked forward to a nice night with her family.

 

.

.

.

 

 


	18. Chapter 18

The evening had started _so_ well, considering.

 

She’d been so excited to see Goku. She’d looked forward to her family together again for a nice meal. She’d more than anticipated after-dinner… activities. Instead, she was currently leaning against her closed bedroom door, taking deliberate deep breaths to calm herself down.

 

She hadn’t anticipated an evening with a ghost. An apparition in the form of her ex-husband.

 

Not that Goku was at fault.

 

Not really.

 

He was a real life man, not a specter come to haunt her. He wasn’t there to taunt her of past mistakes, past pain, years lost.

 

And yet, when he came by and moved around her home — _their_ old home — as if he had never left, she felt more and more disconcerted. While she had made deliberate changes in her home to erase a lot of that painful past — the master bedroom especially — the kitchen had been untouched.

 

That was _her_ domain, after all.

 

But Goku knew exactly where the cutting board was to help her chop strawberries for the salad; knew where the forks and knives were to help set the table. And when Goten jumped onto his lap at the end of dinner to continue an animated tale from school, Chi-Chi had visions of Gohan at the same age.

 

Chi-Chi then realized that all recent progress with Goku had been at _his_ home… a new, neutral zone that had no history, no corners where secrets hid and festered.

 

And while this was Goku, older and wiser, having him back in _their_ old space made her feel anxious and unsure.

 

It didn’t take long for her to realize that the _last_ time Goku had stepped foot in her home was that awful fight before he was deployed; before she made that fateful decision to divorce him; before he had disappeared for almost two years.

 

What made her feel worse was that Goku had been absolutely lovely all evening… handsome as usual, absurdly helpful (he insisted on doing the dishes since she cooked) and thoroughly affectionate. She knew he suspected something was… _off_ , because he kept eyeing her curiously throughout the evening.

 

He gave her quick squeezes to her waist, as some sort of comforting assurance that he was _there_ , and _real,_ but while in front of their kids, they couldn’t really say much.

 

He wasn’t a ghost. But he sure as hell scared her like one.

 

When Goku offered to read Goten’s bedtime story, she all but bolted to her bedroom to have a moment alone to gather herself. It had taxed her all evening trying to behave normally for everyone.

 

She expected the quiet rap on her door that came not too long after, her name softly whispered. She moved away from the door and opened it, motioning for Goku to come in.

  
“Okay, okay, I know, I’ve been acting weird _all_ night,” Chi-Chi began immediately as she tried to keep his steady gaze. “And I want you to know it’s not you, it’s a hundred percent _me,_ and I’m dealing with it. There’s _no_ problem whatsoever, I… I’m just a complete basket case. If you want to walk out of this house _right now_ and never look back, well, who can blame you?”

 

For the entirety of her ramble, Goku merely stared at her, brows raised. After a few beats of silence, his brows dropped and furrowed.

 

“Are you finished?” he said, finally.

 

Chi-Chi’s cheeks bloomed. “Y-yes.”

 

“I’m not walking out,” Goku said.

 

Chi-Chi nodded.

 

“I’m _not_ walking out,” he repeated.

 

Chi-Chi nodded again. “Yes, I understand.”

 

Goku pressed his lips together. “Chi-Chi, I’m not sure you do. I’m not walking out.”

 

“I am not deaf,” Chi-Chi said, her annoyance spiking. “I heard you the first time!”

 

“No, I don’t think so,” Goku said shaking his head softly. He took a small step forward and it took all of Chi-Chi’s willpower not to step back. He grasped her shoulders gently then lowered his lips to her temple. “Chi, I’m not walking out, okay?”

 

He paused briefly.

 

“Not this time.”

 

She felt her chest tighten, and she blinked rapidly to stem the sudden pressure behind her eyes.

 

“I just wanted to see you tonight, that’s all,” Goku said finally. “I didn’t expect you to invite me over for dinner, and I was excited and I didn’t think about… I mean, it’s been a long time, right? Me being _here_?”

 

Ugh, she forgot that he could be perceptive when he _wanted_ to be. That was what set him apart as a SAIYAN, beyond his raw skills and physicality.

 

Chi-Chi could only nod slightly, and Goku’s mouth tightened in response. His eyes, however, were soft and he brushed her bangs from her face in a gesture she began to notice he did whenever he was trying to _figure her out_.

 

“Okay, then I’m going to go home… _my_ home,” he added, “And I’ll give you some space, and maybe this is what we talk about tomorrow? How I can come _here,_ without upsetting you?”

 

Chi-Chi suddenly felt the urge to launch herself at his earnest face and kiss him soundly for being so understanding, so sweet. But, she was _very_ aware that they were in their old master bedroom… changed and different as it was now with completely different furniture, décor and paint, it was _still_ where they had several years together.

 

Happy and sad.

 

“That… sounds perfect, Goku, thank you,” Chi-Chi said finally.

 

“Okay. Good night, Chi. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Goku said with a bittersweet smile. He bent down and kissed her on the jaw. Her eyes fluttered shut at the gesture.

 

“Wait,” she said impulsively, when he moved to leave. He tilted his head questioningly, expression grave.

 

She flushed. “Ugh, I know, I’m _awful_. But… can we… can we leave on a less dramatic note? Can we… um… can we watch some TV or something before you go?”

 

Goku ran his hand across his face and his shoulders rumbled with laughter.

 

“Sure, sweetheart. Sounds good.”

 

.

.

.

 

They ended up in the living room, watching random shows with the volume low. Neither of them were really paying attention to anything on the screen, but it was nice to be sprawled on the couch with him, just taking in his warmth and listening to the steady heartbeat under her ear.

 

It was a new sectional, so it felt a little more neutral than the kitchen and bedroom. Chi-Chi had found herself relaxing and not worrying as much about their past.

 

It was a little distracting, though, because half of her wanted to tear his clothes off and the other half just wanted to cuddle. And she was a little bit embarrassed that part of the appeal was that they were out in the open and the kids were just down the hall. Back when they were young and newly wed, they would make love wherever and _when_ ever they wanted… and that was true, even after Gohan was born. Then they made it into a game as to how far they could get before they would potentially be caught and it was ridiculous and hot at the same time.

 

Over time, though, they had relegated things to the bedroom as Gohan grew older, but once in a while they would still see how far they could go.

 

“I never had a chance to ask about your day,” Goku said idly. “Didn’t you have that reshoot today? How’d that go?”

 

“Real bad until Lapis came along,” Chi-Chi said without thinking.

 

“Lapis?”  


Though his tone was light, they _were_ currently cuddling and so he really couldn’t hide the subtle way he tensed beneath her. And she bit back a curse when it only reminded her about what Lapis _did_ and how she hadn’t addressed it and whether it even needed addressing…

 

She pulled away from Goku, wondering what to say and how to explain…

 

“He’s the park’s new spokesperson. He was taking brochure shots in the studio next door,” Chi-Chi explained. “He came by to say hi, helped with the shoot… look, Goku, nothing happened between Lapis and I.” _That small kiss didn’t count, right?_

 

His smile looked strained. “Chi-Chi, you can stop there. As long as you’re not sleeping with him any more, then I don’t want to hear about it.”

 

Her face flamed, shocked that Goku had even _assumed…_ “I never slept with him!”

 

At that, Goku blinked. “You don’t have to lie to me, Chi, it’s fine. We weren’t together, you were single…”

 

“I’m not _lying!_ Why would I lie?” Chi-Chi tried to keep her voice low, though it was hard as she was starting to get a little agitated at Goku’s assumptions.

 

“Chi,” he said quietly. “I’m not judging.”

 

“I didn’t sleep with Lapis,” Chi-Chi repeated, poking him on the chest for emphasis. “I went on _one_ date with him, and the other one you pretty much sabotaged, don’t even try to deny it.”

 

“Oh, so, when he was negotiating _positions_ he was talking about a job?” Goku had inched away from her, his voice dripping with unmasked jealousy.

 

Chi-Chi’s face went from pink to red. That stupid, fucking text…!

 

“Lapis was _joking_. He’s a dirty flirt, that’s all. Who do you think I am? To give it up on the _first_ date?”

 

Goku pressed his lips together and just gaped at her silently.

 

Oh, my god, he was thinking of _their own recent date…!_ She supposed it could count as a _first_ since it had been so long...

 

If Bulma and Lazuli were here, they would be rolling around on the floor dying of laughter. They’d always made fun of her hyper conservative views about sex and relationships; how she hadn’t had sex in a long while and could barely consider any other partner beyond Goku… and _now_ , she was having the most absurd conversation with said man about whether or not she was the type to have sex on the first date. Not to mention jump right into bed with another (him!) close after!

 

“I can’t believe this conversation. _You and I —_ we’re — different! We have a history!” Chi-Chi placed her hands on her burning cheeks. “Forget it. Fine. Think what you want. It doesn’t matter, right?”

 

Goku looked at her with a conflicted look on his face. “Okay, if you say nothing happened between you and Lapis, then I believe you.”

 

Chi-Chi swallowed, feeling guilty. Did that kiss count? She hated this feeling. She didn’t even _do_ anything. She hadn’t led him on. Still, Goku was looking at her with a face that clearly didn’t believe her, and while she supposed in the grand scheme of things, it didn’t really matter who they were with before they had reunited, she wanted their relationship to be open, no secrets.

 

No doubts.

 

“Okay, he kissed me… once,” Chi-Chi said flatly. Goku didn’t really need to know that it just happened earlier that day. It wasn’t going to happen again! Goku’s face didn’t change but she could feel him tense a little further. “That’s as _far_ as it got. And I didn’t even invite him to do it. _I_ don’t think of him more than a friend.”

 

His eyes danced around, like he was searching her face for a contradiction. Finally, he gave a big sigh.

 

“Sorry, I’m being stupid,” Goku said finally, gathering her back in his arms. “I… I can’t _stand_ thinking about you with anyone else.”

 

“W-well, neither can I,” Chi-Chi said honestly. “There’s a reason I haven’t asked more about Launch.”

 

He moved back to look at her in surprise. “ _Launch?_ ”

 

Chi-Chi shook her head and buried her face back into his chest. “Forget it. Like with Lapis… as long as you aren’t sleeping with her any more, I don’t want to hear about it.”

 

However, his chest began to rumble with laughter. “Chi… Dende… is _that_ why you were so nasty to her that one time? You thought she and I were… together?”

 

Chi-Chi stilled. It was as if a record scratched in her brain.

 

“What are you saying?”

 

“Chi, she was even there the same night we… you know. What kinda guy do you think _I_ am?”

 

Chi-Chi moved back, thoroughly confused at his twinkling eyes. “So… why _was_ she there that night?”

 

“Cheech, she’s my _neighbor_ ,” Goku said with a chuckle. “She lives maybe ten or so doors down. I found out when I was on a run and she was jogging, too. We caught up on life. You know she runs that Cyclops Bar & Grill down on Cherry Street?”

 

Chi-Chi’s mind whirled. So Goku and Launch never were an item?

 

“I don’t understand,” Chi-Chi said.

 

“Long story short, I went to her restaurant, told her the food was amazing… she said it was all her own recipes and she offered to teach me to cook some basics,” Goku went on. “Chi-Chi, we’re just friends. When she was over, um, that night… she helped me choose what to make and prepped the potatoes.”

 

Chi-Chi’s eyes widened. Launch even _helped_ with that dinner?

 

“Oh,” Chi-Chi said finally.

 

“Yes, _oh,_ ” Goku said with another laugh. “Besides, I don’t know, I’m not really into the sharing thing.”

 

Chi-Chi grew more confused. “What do you mean?”

 

“Mm, I’m more into the one partner monogamy thing,” Goku said, and he squeezed her lightly. “Launch and, um… Launch and Tien and Chaotzu have an _arrangement._ ”

 

“They got back together? Tien and Launch?” Chi-Chi gasped. Goku’s eyes crinkled with mirth.

 

“Sort of. Um. Back together with Chaotzu. They’re in one of those poly, uh, polyamorous arrangements? Where they’re with each other but everyone’s allowed to play the field at the same time?” Goku said carefully.

 

At this point, Chi-Chi had bolted straight up, her jaw nearly to the floor. “No. _No!_ You’re kidding me!”

 

“Nope. To each their own. Good for them,” Goku added.

 

“Oh my god,” Chi-Chi said, her hands to her mouth.

 

She’d been racked with so much jealousy for _nothing_. And she was still trying to process the other level of gossip that was just handed to her. Bulma and Lazuli would probably go _wild_ with this info!

 

“Well, glad we cleared the air,” Goku said with a wide grin.

 

“Launch and Tien _and_ Chaotzu...” Chi-Chi breathed, still reeling with the information and the relief that followed that Goku hadn’t been with Launch after all. She was starting to feel a little giddy about it… she hadn’t realized how much the thought of him with someone else was weighing her down.

 

“Yep,” Goku said, the “p” making a popping sound.

 

Times sure had changed, Chi-Chi thought to herself. “Um, just in case it wasn’t abundantly clear. I’m a one-person type too.”

 

Goku leaned over and kissed her sweetly. She felt him smile against her lips. “Good.”

 

He paused, his expression darkening at their proximity, but his wolfish grin was playful. “Hmmm… do you want to play that game we used to…?”

 

Goku quickly grabbed the blanket off the side to drape over them, _just in case_ little feet decided to run on by. Chi-Chi giggled at the gesture, but soon, her laughter disappeared along with their clothes.

 

.

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	19. Chapter 19

_6 or so years ago…_

 

Chi-Chi smoothed down the skirt of her vintage-cut shift dress for the millionth time. She knew there was not a strand out of place, from the top of her head down to her sensible heels, but she needed to channel her nervous energy somewhere. She was unused to dressing so formally, in such a severe gray color, her hair swept from her face in a French chignon.

 

But, her lawyer Towa, had advised her that especially in custody and divorce proceedings, that she needed to convey an air of complete control and seriousness. That any weakness could be exploited by the other side; her appearance was like armor, Towa said.

 

Especially since she hadn’t seen or heard from Goku beyond the FedEx’d divorce papers in almost two years.

 

That, in fact, was what terrified her the most.

 

Outwardly, she was the picture of cool and calm. And time _did_ help harden her heart, solidify in her mind that she had done the right thing by leaving Goku, and she was glad to have the respite of his presence for an extended amount of time.

 

But as their divorce and custody appointment drew near, a mere fifteen minutes to erase two years of non-contact, Chi-Chi found her palms begin to sweat, her heart racing. It was almost involuntary. She knew she had to see him _some_ day, that she couldn’t just parry legal documents back and forth — especially since the cost added up.

 

Bulma was helping her out a little with this since legal fees for a divorce were a lot more than she bargained for. She had a plan to pay Bulma back, of course, but in the meantime, Chi-Chi felt super awkward putting her friend in this position. Chi-Chi knew that Bulma still considered Goku a friend. Thankfully, the heiress was smart enough never to bring it up.

 

Still, two years of being a single mother of two taught her to set aside her pride to do what was best for her family.

 

But Goku had begun to ask about Gohan; not directly because she refused to answer his calls and she even went as far as to change her phone number after a while.

 

So, they went the lawyer route.

 

She put a hand on her chest, as if the move could slow her fast beating heart.

 

Goku still didn’t know about Goten.

 

Towa had told her that wasn’t much of an issue, since they could talk about how he voluntarily stayed overseas for an extended amount of time; she could argue in court (if necessary, if it got to that), that it made no sense for Chi-Chi to reach out to someone so far away, who left on his own accord, and that they’d more or less been living separate lives _any_ way. Chi-Chi had to painfully outline how much Goku had been at home versus overseas for the past five years, and the stark numbers clearly showed that he was away more than he was home.

 

The exercise, used to help with her case and as evidence (if need be), painful as it was, helped Chi-Chi again with the resolve that she did the right thing.

 

She was completely unprepared, though, at the anguished cry of her name.

 

All of a sudden, two years crumbled behind her as she turned toward the familiar voice she’d know _anywhere._

 

 _He_ _seems_ _frazzled,_ was her first thought, as she coolly got to her feet. He was wearing a button up shirt, but it was half un-tucked into dark jeans, like he had hastily put himself together. And she had to swallow the gasp that bubbled up her throat as she finally made eye contact with the father of her children for the first time in almost two years.

 

He looked the same.

 

He looked glorious.

 

 _This is_ _unfair._ _How can one man be so handsome?_ she thought wildly, as she felt a flush rise to her cheeks. While her mind screamed at her that this was the man that hurt you, her body was on a totally different tangent. Her skin prickled with awareness as a surprisingly heavy jolt of attraction coursed through her.

 

 _You haven’t been with anyone in a while_ , she told herself as she struggled to keep her reaction off her face.

 

She saw him reach out a hand, but Towa immediately blocked her view.

 

“Mr. Son, this is highly inappropriate,” Towa said sharply. “My client does _not_ want to speak with you directly right now. We shall convene in the conference room in ten minutes. In the meantime, please control yourself or we will have security escort you out of the premises.”

 

Chi-Chi opened her mouth to quietly protest that was a bit extreme, but she was too rattled at seeing him to say anything.

 

In a few moments, she saw a familiar bald face jog up.

 

“Goku, I told you to wait,” she heard Krillin huff as he reached his side.

 

“Mr. Monk, I suggest you control your client,” Towa said crisply. “He attempted to engage with my client prior to the proceedings.”

 

“Apologies, Ms. Demon,” Krillin said, angling an exasperated look at Goku who had not stopped staring at her since he’d burst through the doors. Krillin leaned over and waved at her awkwardly.

 

Chi-Chi managed a small smile. She had nothing against Krillin. She knew it made sense for Goku to hire his best friend for these proceedings, and in some ways, it made her feel more comfortable. Krillin wouldn’t try to screw her over, would she? One of his wife’s closest friends?

 

This town was too small, Chi-Chi thought ruefully.

 

“Since we’re all here right now, if the conference room is open, shall we start proceedings early?” Krillin said in a professional tone. It was _really_ odd for Chi-Chi to see her old friend speak that way, but circumstances dictated it.

 

Towa nodded and they all quietly piled into the conference room.

 

Towa dramatically opened up her dark briefcase to pull out a variety of folders that dictated the topics of the day. Chi-Chi squirmed in her seat, her eyes downcast, but even without looking, she could _feel_ Goku’s gaze burning toward her.

 

“We’ll start with the division of proper—”

 

“She can have the house,” Goku said flatly. Her eyes flew up to meet his in surprise.

 

Krillin sighed and pulled Goku down to whisper in his ear, but Goku still did not break his gaze from her. She saw Goku quickly shake his head at whatever Krillin was saying.

 

“Appreciate your generosity, Mr. Son. Let’s hope that you are equally as reasonable with the other items,” Towa said coolly. “Let the record state that Chi-Chi Mau has full rights to the property on 537 Mountain Grove. Now, let’s discuss finances and the child support settlement.”

 

“My client has regularly deposited his military salary throughout his absence, regardless of this separation, which he had no legal need to do,” Krillin broke in.

 

Towa inclined her head. “Indeed, and so my client is prepared to write a check for 50% of—”

 

“She can keep the money,” Goku said in the same dull tone. Chi-Chi’s eyes widened fractionally, but she said nothing as she kept his even stare.

 

She saw Krillin pinch the bridge of his nose and flash her and her lawyer both a tight smile. “Can you excuse me and my client for a moment? I need to speak to him privately.”

 

Goku seemed to reluctantly tear his eyes from her as Krillin pulled him aside in the corner. Towa turned and smirked at Chi-Chi with satisfaction.

 

“Hm, looks like your ex is feeling _extremely_ generous today. We need to ride that,” Towa whispered. Chi-Chi felt numb and unsure.

 

“I just want what’s fair,” Chi-Chi said finally.

 

“This is fair. He abandoned you and your children,” Towa reminded her quietly. “The least he could do is compensate for it. Remember that.”

 

After five minutes, Goku and Krilllin sat back at the table. If anything, Goku looked more resigned.

 

“All right, then, that’s settled. We’ve calculated the amount we think is fair for child support, keeping in mind your average earning over the years,” Towa said. She took out a post it pad and scribbled the number on the paper. “We believe this monthly stipend to be fair and in line with childcare costs for your two children.”

 

Goku glanced down at the sheet, but then his brows drew together sharply.

 

“Wait. What did you say?” Goku said hoarsely.

 

“We believe this monthly—” Towa began.

 

“No, _no_. You said _two_ children.” Goku’s voice was barely audible, and the color drained from his face so quickly that he looked like he might pass out. Chi-Chi’s pulse went into overdrive as his face turned to her with such a look of _betrayal_ that she had to clench her fists to steady herself.

 

Krillin cursed quietly beside Goku.

 

“Yes, Mr. Son,” Towa said in the same cool tone. “If you had deemed to return sooner, you would have known that Ms. Mau here was pregnant with your second child, Goten. He’s just over a year old now.”

 

Goku immediately shot to his feet, his hand going to his mouth. She saw his eyes glaze with moisture and she felt a stabbing despair at his reaction. But she had to be strong and harden herself. She had to remind herself that he was _overseas_ , and that he shouldn’t have gone off on that mission when she begged him not to.

 

“How could you do this to me, Chi-Chi? How _could_ you—”

 

“Settle down, Mr. Son!” Towa said sharply. “Please—”

 

“Would knowing have made a difference?” Chi-Chi finally broke her silence, her voice shaky with emotion. “Does it matter? I had to deal with it. _Alone_.”

 

“You kept me from my children!” Goku lashed out.

 

“No, you did that _all_ on your own!” Chi-Chi exclaimed, also finally shooting to her feet. She pounded her chest with her fist. “We were _here_ this entire time!”

 

“All right, all right, everyone calm down,” Krillin said motioning for everyone to sit.

 

“I want to see him,” Goku said sharply, his face darkening. “You can’t keep him away from me.”

 

“ _Mr. Son!_ That is _not_ Ms. Mau’s intention. This is the point of these proceedings!” Towa shouted authoritatively. “We still need to go through the specifics—”

 

Goku shook his head rapidly, his hand still over his mouth as he mumbled. “I can’t. I can’t do this. Krillin, just… give her what she wants. As long as I can see my kids, that’s all I want. I can’t do the rest of this.”

 

Without another word, Goku stormed out of the room, leaving Chi-Chi stunned and Krillin looking helplessly at the door and back at Chi-Chi, shaking his head.

 

“What I heard from your client… ” Towa began, completely unfazed, as if she was used to this type of behavior after years of divorce hearings, “… is that we can continue the proceedings without him. Is this amenable to you Mr. Monk? Do you have authority over the next few items? Or shall we reschedule the rest?”

 

Krillin looked at Chi-Chi with such a forlorn expression, one that looked torn due to split loyalties. Finally, the bald man sighed. “Let’s continue the proceedings. I don’t see another meeting occurring any time soon that would be productive, considering the circumstances. I can speak on my client’s behalf and he should be amenable to signing what I put forth.”

 

“Excellent. Now, Chi-Chi—”

 

She ran out of the room, unable to stop herself. She couldn’t stay here, talk calmly about what was going on, when Goku was nearby.

 

She ignored the exclamation from her own lawyer as she bounded down the steps, and out the building. She wasn’t sure if she was relieved or terrified when she noticed Goku had not left the parking lot. He was pacing back and forth in front of his car, like a trapped animal, like he was unsure of where to go, what to do.

 

“Goku!” she exclaimed.

 

He turned his head and she noticed that his eyes were red, his skin ashen. He seemed completely distraught at seeing her at the end of the parking lot. He shook his head like he couldn’t believe she was there.

 

“You didn’t write me back, you never answered my calls,” he said hoarsely. “You kept my son from me. How could you do that?”

 

Chi-Chi blinked rapidly to stem the onslaught of tears that was threatening to burst forth. “We never left. I was still here. _We_ are still here. For the past _two years._ ”

 

He coughed out what sounded like a strangled laugh. “Right. _I’m_ the monster here.”

 

Chi-Chi clenched her fists. “Do you want to meet him?”

 

“You can’t keep me away,” Goku said between grit teeth. “I don’t want to fight you, but I’m going to have to. You can’t keep my kids away from me.”

 

She shook her head, sadly. “Goku, that was never my intention.”

 

“That’s why you ignored every call and letter? Or that one time you called the cops when I dropped by the house?”

 

She flushed. “You scared me out of nowhere.”

 

Goku shook his head. “I don’t know you. You’re not the woman I married.”

 

“No, I’m not,” Chi-Chi said stiffly. “I’m not a doormat or a martyr. I have to take care of _my_ family because someone has to! But you being away… it’s hurt our boys and I don’t want you to _not_ to see them, okay? All right? Are you listening?”

 

Goku rounded on her, the space between disappearing. “I know you hate me, but this is… this is _low,_ Chi-Chi. How can you be so cruel?”

 

Chi-Chi felt rooted in her spot as she lifted her chin toward her ex. Their proximity was alarming her a little, but she needed to have it out with him.

 

“Cruel? You want to know what’s _cruel?_ How about the fact that you were overseas longer than _we’ve been together_ the past five or so years? How about all the times you missed every important event in Gohan’s life?”

 

“I wasn’t out for a pleasure cruise. I’m sorry I missed them! It _kills_ me not be there for Gohan all the time, but I’m a soldier, it’s my _job_ , it’s my _goddamn_ duty,” Goku shot back. “I did it to keep _you_ safe. To keep you _all_ safe. To provide for us!”

 

Chi-Chi scoffed, shaking her head. He still didn’t get how much his time away affected them.

 

“Do you know Gohan tells everyone at school that his gym teacher, Mr. _Namek,_ is his dad?”

 

Goku looked visibly startled. Chi-Chi smiled mirthlessly at him and nodded.

 

“Yes. _Piccolo!_ Your own son would rather align himself with that weirdo than with you. People started _believing_ him, and thought I was having an affair behind your back! While I’m trying to pay the bills and taking care of _two_ children by myself, people had the gall to call me a whore. Because you were gone. Because it was pretty obvious how much you loved being a soldier more than husband or father. How about that for cruelty?”

 

Goku pressed his lips together. “I can’t control what other people say or do. I’m sorry you had to go through that. I’m sorry that… Gohan felt that way.”

 

“And believe me, it’s no fucking _picnic_ being pregnant and alone. If you had… if you had come _home_ ,” Chi-Chi’s voice broke, “… when I sent you the papers, then you would have known about Goten. I never hid it. All you had to do was _come home_.”

 

He looked utterly stunned at her words, taking a deliberate step back.

 

“I think… I think Krillin was right. I can’t talk to you directly. I don’t care about the rest of… _this_.” He gestured between them. “As long as I can see my sons on a regular basis, then as far as I’m concerned this conversation is over. I don’t… I don’t want to see you again.”

 

Chi-Chi should have expected his reaction, but she still felt like she was slapped in the face. She nodded stiffly. “Fine. I won’t stop you from seeing them.”

 

Goku shook his head again, the planes of his face hardening. “Good-bye, Chi-Chi.”

 

Chi-Chi took a deep breath. “Good-bye, Goku.”

 

.

.

.

 

 

 


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Things get a _little_ more explicit than in previous chapters... :-)

_Now…_

 

The next few weeks were a whirlwind of emotion. Chi-Chi found herself staying over for the entire weekend the children were at Goku’s, and Gohan would babysit at least twice a week now to allow their parents some time alone. That pretty much meant they saw each other the majority of the week, and they had found a rather nice rhythm.

 

Their sons seemed to be content, Goten especially, that their parents were getting along and they could all be together as a family more and more.

 

Still, while they were able to talk about a lot of important subjects like house and chores and children, — they were able to figure out an equal arrangement where they both could respect each other and contribute — the subject of those two years away was still ever elusive.

 

Goku had yet to stay over night at their old house, too.

 

Chi-Chi was the one to usually bring the subject of their divorce up.

 

Goku would shut her down somehow, usually distracting her with sex quickly after. Not that she had much to complain about that tactic, but it was concerning her how they could talk so frankly about all manners of issues but their actual divorce, the separation itself and the immediate aftermath and how they’d treated each other… Goku never wanted to discuss it. Not that Chi-Chi was enthusiastic about the prospect either, but she knew they couldn’t take their relationship further unless they were able to tackle it.

 

She contemplated bringing up the subject of a counsellor again, if this was simply something they couldn’t handle themselves.

 

Still, Chi-Chi could hardly complain. The fact they could talk about _other_ important matters was something she couldn’t deny and she knew it was progress, at least.

 

She had started to use her spare key now that they were seeing each other more frequently to let herself in on her days over at his house, but normally, he was ready and nearby to greet her. So she knew something was wrong immediately as she entered the house.

 

“Goku?” Chi-Chi called.

 

No answer.

 

Maybe he had a late day at work? Or he was stuck in traffic? No, normally, he would text her and let her know…

 

She wandered around and called his name again. She opened the door to his room and was surprised to find his prone figure, fully clothed in a shirt and sweatpants, sprawled on the bed. His face was flushed, like he’d been running, but it was clear that he’d been lying in bed for a while.

 

“Goku!” she exclaimed and ran to him. He groaned at her voice, his eyes opening. They looked unfocused.

 

“Oh, Chi, sorry, I guess I overslept…”

 

“You’re burning up,” Chi-Chi said as she placed a hand over his forehead.

 

“Mm, I wasn’t feeling well so I went home early from work and thought a nap would fix,” Goku said roughly. “There’s a bug going round in the office, and… blah… I guess I’m the next victim.”

 

“Have you taken anything?”

 

Goku shook his head weakly as he buried his face into the pillow.

 

“Okay, I’m going to get you a glass of water and acetaminophen and hopefully that will help your fever,” Chi-Chi said brusquely, already leaving to get the necessary items.

 

When she came back, he was shivering and her heart clenched at the sight. She handed him the small pill and glass of water. He seemed barely capable of swallowing the water, like the glass and pill weighed a ton.

 

“You.. probably should go...” Goku said his tone apologetic. “I’m useless right now. I… don’t want you… to get sick.”

 

“I’m not leaving you alone here while you’re in this state,” Chi-Chi cried.

 

“Don’t be silly,” Goku whispered. “I’m fine…”

 

He began to shiver more violently, completely contradicting his words.

 

She bit her thumb nervously, unsure of what to do. This was supposed to be their sleepover day, but she couldn’t imagine leaving him in the morning if he was still like this, but she had things to do at the house and the kids…

 

Without another word, she found a small backpack in his room and began to quietly pack a few of his clothes into it. After she grabbed the toiletries from the bathroom, she shook Goku’s shoulder.

 

“Hey, hey, get up, you need to get up for me, okay?” Chi-Chi said.

 

“Hm?” he murmured.

 

“You’re coming home with me. I can take better care of you there,” Chi-Chi explained.

 

Goku frowned, “No, that’s okay.”

 

“No arguments. Come on,” Chi-Chi said, holding up his backpack. He seemed surprised that she’d already packed stuff for him.

 

“You don’t have to do this, Chi,” Goku protested.

 

“Oh, for— get the fuck up Goku before I kick your ass and haul you to my house by your ear!” Chi-Chi exclaimed, causing Goku to gasp weakly before scrambling up from bed as best he could.

 

Goku looked adorably disheveled standing in his t-shirt and sweatpants.

 

He was quiet on the drive to their old home. She gripped the steering wheel, trying to calm herself, knowing that this was the right thing to do even though it was already making her anxious knowing he was going to sleep on _her_ bed in _their_ old room.

 

Gohan seemed surprised to see both their parents at the door.

 

“Your dad’s staying over here tonight,” Chi-Chi said.

 

“ _Dad!_ ” Goten exclaimed but Chi-Chi stopped her youngest from rushing Goku.

 

“Baby, your daddy’s sick, so you can’t hug him right now. You don’t want to get what he has,” Chi-Chi explained patiently. Goten’s expression grew grave as he regarded his father behind Chi-Chi, who was currently scratching the back of his head.

 

“Yeah, sorry kiddo,” Goku said faintly.

 

“Oh, okay. Are you going to make soup? Can I help?” Goten asked earnestly. Chi-Chi smiled widely. She loved her caring son so much!

 

“Yes, probably. But first I got to get your dad into bed, okay?”

 

“Okay. Get well soon dad! Mama’s going to take very good care of you,” Goten added.

 

Goku nodded as Chi-Chi led him down the hall and to their old master.

 

“Really, you don’t have to do all this—” Goku said quietly.

 

“Shut up already,” Chi-Chi said, practically pushing him through the door. She patted his butt playfully and pointed to the bed. “Okay, get in.”

 

He heaved a large sigh and got under the covers. “Thanks, Chi.”

 

She paused, realizing that this didn’t seem all that bad. She was still feeling anxious, but her concern for Goku’s well being overrode her own insecurities.

 

“Okay, so just rest a bit. I’m going to go make some soup. Going to guess you had nothing all day?”

 

Goku shook his head, sighing into the pillow. “Your bed smells nice.”

 

Chi-Chi flushed. “Okay, sure. Thanks?”

 

“Mm,” he murmured.

 

“I’m going to take that as a hint to make the soup now.”

 

He didn’t answer, and it was clear he was exhausted.

 

Both Goten and Gohan helped with the soup. Gohan chopped all the little vegetables while Goten helped shred the poached chicken she put through the pressure cooker to speed up the process. A little chicken noodle soup always soothed the soul, right?

 

The soup was delicious and done within the hour and soon she was padding back to the master to feed Goku. He seemed completely out of it and she was loathe to wake up him again but she suspected he needed _some_ sustenance.

 

“Goku, I brought you soup,” Chi-Chi said as she shook him gently awake.

 

He seemed confused for a moment, like he wasn’t sure where he was. He squinted at her and simply rasped, “Chi-Chi…?”

 

“Yes, I’m here, you’re at my house,” she explained. He blinked, still looking disoriented.

 

“Oh.”

 

“I made you soup,” Chi-Chi said cheerfully. “Your kids helped, too.”

 

He struggled to sit up and groaned slightly. “I feel like shit.”

 

“You look like shit,” Chi-Chi said with a small smile. “But I think this soup might help.”

 

He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palm, such a boyish gesture that was extremely endearing to Chi-Chi. “Oh. Thanks.”

 

“Here,” Chi-Chi said, scooting forward and offering the bowl to him. His hand looked shaky as he reached out so she pulled the bowl back and said, “On second thought, let me just feed you for a bit so you don’t spill this all over yourself.”

 

Goku ran his hand over his hair, blinking hard again but he nodded at her offer. For a few silent moments, Chi-Chi simply spooned some soup toward Goku who took it gratefully. It seemed to give him a little bit more energy, because eventually, she was able to hand him the bowl without worry that he would spill.

 

“Okay, I’m going to get you another glass of water and I want you to rest the rest of the evening,” Chi-Chi said after Goku finished his bowl.

 

“Yes, mom,” he said with a slight twist of his lips. She leaned over and placed her hand on his heated brow.

 

“You’re still burning. Your fever hasn’t broke yet. Hopefully after a good night’s rest,” Chi-Chi said with a sigh.

 

“Chi, seriously, thanks for all this,” Goku said with a faint wave at their surroundings.

 

“Just get better, okay?” Chi-Chi said with a smile. He smiled and sank back into the bed.

 

The next few hours, she left Goku alone and spent it reading on the couch while cuddling with her youngest, who was filling out his worksheets. All in all, it wasn’t really a bad evening, just an unexpected one.

 

Soon, she helped her Goten get ready for bed and kissed Gohan good-night and was ready to head to bed herself. She tried to ignore the anxiety that grew as she went through her normal nightly routine at home: shower, then pajamas, before relaxing in bed with a book before going to sleep.

 

The routine worked for the most part, and while her mattress was Queen size and definitely more roomy than Goku’s own double bed in his sparse room, she felt like his body dominated the entire mattress. She squeezed herself to the furthest corner and turned on the lamp. She looked over to see that he was still completely out of it which helped her a bit.

 

Still, her own exhaustion set in and she settled in for the night. She turned to look at his side, and she noticed he’d turned so that his back was to her which actually helped her calm down a little. Okay. She could do this.

 

The next thing she knew, she heard muffled sounds, startling her awake. She angled a look at her smartphone by her bedside which indicated it was three in the morning. She almost startled at seeing the body beside her when she remembered she’d invited Goku over… and that was where the sounds were emitting.

 

He was mumbling something incoherently into the pillow.

 

“Shhh, shhh,” Chi-Chi whispered, reaching out to him to run a hand placatingly up and down his arm.

 

“Mmm, no, I don’t...”

 

“You’re fine, go to sleep,” Chi-Chi said soothingly.

 

She was shocked when he turned and his eyes stared back at her in the dark. They were heavy lidded and slightly glazed, so she suspected he wasn’t _quite_ awake.

 

“Mmm, Chi-Chi...” he breathed. He reached out and touched her tentatively on the face. A smile played upon his lips. “I love you.”

 

Chi-Chi froze, her breath catching in her throat. He didn’t. He didn’t just…

 

“Goku, you’re ill. You don’t know what you’re saying,” Chi-Chi got out, her heart pounding her ears.

 

He simply blinked at her slowly, still that faraway smile on his face. “So pretty…”

 

His fingers were still gently caressing her face.

 

“Go to sleep Goku,” Chi-Chi choked out, trying not to replay the words he just said in his delirium.

 

He moved forward and pulled her close, her back against him. He was still so strong even in this compromised state.

 

“You’re _so nice_ to me,” he murmured into her hair. “Even when you’re mean…”

 

Chi-Chi swallowed a hysterical giggle. He was making absolutely no sense.

 

“S’okay Chi, we can fix this, you and me…” he said, nuzzling her neck now. He brushed a soft kiss at the back of her neck.

 

“Goku, you’re sick, we can’t do this,” Chi-Chi said as sternly as possible. He was starting to run his burning hands under her pajama top.

 

“Mmm, you feel so good…” he purred against her skin, and she felt the evidence of his interest against the curve of her bottom. She was shocked that even in his extremely weak state that he was _interested_ in… His roaming hands dipped under her pajama.

 

“Goku, come on, enough,” Chi-Chi said breathlessly, trying to pull away but he held firm.

 

“You want me, though,” he whispered hotly against her, the wandering hand beneath her pajamas touched her core experimentally. As she shut her eyes as she knew that her body was already slick with anticipation, even though this was _wrong_ , he wasn’t in his right mind.

 

“You’re not well, you might make yourself more sick,” Chi-Chi whispered half-heartedly. Still he was already tugging her pajama bottoms down and she wasn’t doing much to stop him. His breathing was ragged as he pulled his own sweats down and pressed his need against her.

 

“Please,” he asked shakily. Even in this state, he wanted to make sure. Chi-Chi waffled, wondering if she was taking advantage of him. She _really_ should put a stop—

 

Her thoughts stuttered when he pinched her nipple under her shirt, the evidence of his need brushing against her enticingly. She felt herself shiver and so did he... but he was sick. But was it that bad? Her mind whirled, completely conflicted. They weren’t kissing, so the likelihood of her catching…

 

He nipped her neck and her hand shot down to grip his manhood automatically, guiding him inside.

 

Oh, she was going to hell for this.

 

Slowly, excruciatingly, he entered her and she gasped at the feel of him. He filled her so well, it was insane how well they fit together.

 

“Oh, god, you… you feel amazing…” Goku babbled, and she felt the sweat on his face as he kissed her jaw. His fever is breaking, she thought faintly.

 

He moved leisurely on their side, one hand playing with her nub, causing her to clench him slightly at each stroke. He began to murmur into the crook her neck as the urgency of his movements increased.

 

It was like when she was around Goku, she had absolutely no boundaries.

 

“Goku...” she breathed, as he flattened her on her stomach so he could be fully behind her. He got to his knees and pulled her up so she was too, like she was in a cat yoga pose.

 

But what they were doing was definitely not yoga.

 

“Mm, so good,” he breathed.

 

“ _Oh,”_ Chi-Chi gasped as the new angle allowed him to go even deeper, which she hadn’t even known was possible. She felt stars blink behind her eye lids as they slammed shut, every movement causing her jolts of pleasure. “O-Oh my god!”

 

“Shh, _shhh_ , the kids,” Goku whispered with a chuckle. He sounded a tad more coherent now, but roughened with desire.

 

“ _You_ shut up,” Chi-Chi said trying to smack him but he answered her with another thrust that killed the next words in her throat. She gasped into the pillow, trying to muffle the sounds. This felt _so_ good, she felt so complete and thoroughly ravaged in this position. He was hitting her exactly in the right spot, each thrust pushing her closer and closer to the edge.

 

Her legs felt like jello beneath her and she quivered.

 

Abruptly, he withdrew from her and turned her onto her back.

 

“Why’d you stop?” she protested, feeling bereft.

 

“I like to see your face when you come,” he whispered thickly. The words, so assuredly said, almost made her come there and then. His eyes looked _lot_ clearer now, though his body was shaking with effort and sweat. Even in her haze of desire, she worried that she had pushed him too far, that—

 

He was inside her again, and coherent thought left her mind. She arched with need and between the friction and build up from before, along with this delicious new angle, she felt the familiar warmth and pulse build in her belly.

 

“Come for me, sweetheart,” he said softly. He snuck his fingers in between thrusts, and the combination of him playing with her along with how he filled her _just right_ , had her teetering at the edge. She loved the feel of him, loved how he touched her.

 

She loved him. She loved him _so much…_

 

“Don’t you want to come for me?” he whispered.

 

She gasped as her climax hit her all at once, the sensation shocking her with its intensity. She slapped a hand over her mouth to stem the sound coming from her throat, as Goku increased his thrusts and she clenched over him helplessly. Her eyes screwed shut as she let the aftershocks of her orgasm roll over her like a warm wave.

 

Goku’s movements grew increasingly erratic as she wrapped her legs around him tightly. He suddenly buried his head on the crook of her neck to muffle his own cry of release.

 

They held each other still, sweat dripping from their bodies at the effort.

 

“We shouldn’t have done that,” Chi-Chi said, as she looked up at his flushed, wet face. She smoothed over his brow with a gentle hand.

 

“Why not…?” Goku said faintly.

 

“I took advantage of you,” Chi-Chi said. She felt him rumble with laughter. They were still connected, so she could feel it from her head to her toes. Slowly, reluctantly, he withdrew.

 

“You did? News to me. I liked it,” he said weakly. He turned onto his back, his forearm over his eyes.

 

“Yeah and now you look like you’re going to pass out from it all,” Chi-Chi said with concern.

 

“That’s not different from any other time.”

 

“Touche,” Chi-Chi said with a small smile, but it immediately dropped as she saw him struggle to center himself. “We should probably take a shower. I think your fever broke. You’re still sick, Goku…”

 

“Shower, yes,” Goku said, sitting up. He touched his head as he swayed. “Um, yeah I guess you’re right. Got carried away there.”

 

Chi-Chi’s frown deepened. She shouldn’t have encouraged him… she should have stopped him.

 

“Stop with that face, I’ll be fine,” Goku said as he got unsteadily to his feet.

 

“No, you’re not,” Chi-Chi said with regret. “We’ll have to shower together I guess.”

 

Goku’s flushed face brightened. “Silver lining to all this.”

 

Somehow, Goku and Chi-Chi managed to have a rather uneventful shower, though she _did_ firmly stop him from trying to fool around this time. Fortunately, their sheets seemed to be fine to sleep on as most of his sweat had clung to his clothes, and they were discarded now. They both decided to go to bed nude, so it wasn’t really an issue.

 

“Why’d you take advantage of me Chi? I feel wrecked,” Goku complained teasingly as they snuggled under the covers.

 

“Shut up you.”

 

“When I’m so weak and defenseless? Control yourself, woman,” he said.

 

“You keep this up, you’re sleeping on the floor, sickness be damned.”

 

“First you take advantage, now you want to kick me out of bed. Heartless.”

 

“You are definitely getting better, I can sense that. Go to sleep,” Chi-Chi said dryly.

 

Goku yawned and simply nodded against her hair. She could feel him grow heavy against her as sleep washed over him. Still, she was having a hard time fully relaxing as she began to replay his earlier declaration before they had both gotten carried away.

 

Did he remember saying the words? Had he meant them?

 

As she shut her eyes, she realized that they had just made love in their old home.

 

A smile teased her face as she fell asleep.

 

Progress.

 

.

.

.


	21. Chapter 21

_Six or so years ago…_

 

Apparently, Chi-Chi and Goku were only ever going to see each other when a lawyer was present. She couldn’t afford to have Towa at every instance, so she was having to handle this meeting alone.

  
She was used to it.

 

Being alone.

 

She refused to have Goku come _her_ house. It would just be too painful to have him walk through the doors, knowing the last time was before he was deployed and disappeared for the two years.

 

While the circumstances of this first meeting was the opposite of ideal, especially since they were in a public space of a coffee shop, she was glad to have at least _that_ protection. Her own sense of self preservation and pride would make sure that everything would go smoothly. She didn’t want a public incident.

 

She bounced her happy boy in her lap and lamented over the fact that Goten was a _clone_ of his father. She briefly, selfishly — though not seriously — contemplated passing him off as someone else’s so Goku would have less of a hold on her and her family. Hell, people already thought that she was having an affair with Piccolo. But there was no mistaking the round dark eyes, that tuft of dark hair. He looked almost exactly like Goku as a child, even more than Gohan had at the same age.

 

Involuntarily, her breath caught in her throat as her ex-husband’s frame walked through the cafe, his best friend — more casually dressed this time, similar to Goku, in a t-shirt and slacks — close behind. Chi-Chi rose with Goten in her arms. Unconsciously, she held Goten closer to her chest.

 

“Hey, Chi-Chi,” Krillin greeted with a friendly smile. Goku’s expression, meanwhile, was blank, unsmiling. Krillin leaned over. “Where’s Ms. Demon?”

 

“I can’t afford her for these things,” Chi-Chi said flatly. She saw Goku’s eyes flicker for a moment, but then that neutral expression shuttered his face again.

 

“I want to hold him,” Goku said abruptly, looking down at the baby in her arms.

 

She swallowed the bile that rose up in her throat. She felt like she was going to be sick. She blinked rapidly, knowing she couldn’t hold Goten and keep him for herself forever. As she reluctantly held out her boy, his hand brushed against hers. She jerked back, the brief connection startling her as much as the jolt that went up her arm.

 

Like an icicle melting in the sun, she saw Goku’s expression change the moment his boy was in his arms. “Oh, hey kiddo.”

 

Goten raised impossibly large eyes at him and immediately broke into a wail.

 

“He’s not used to anyone but me holding him,” Chi-Chi said, already reaching out. But Goku turned his body, blocking her movement, as he jostled his son and smiled down at him.

 

“He’s fine,” Goku said. “You’re fine, right, kiddo? Your dad’s here. I’m going to take care of you from now on.”

 

“He’s beautiful, Cheech,” Krillin said kindly.

 

Chi-Chi swallowed the lump in her throat at the scene. She couldn’t deny the happiness on Goku’s face as he stared down at his son… it was so much like how he looked when Gohan had been born.

 

They had _both_ been so happy then.

 

“Shall we sit?” Krillin said, gesturing at the table.

 

Goten was still crying, but Goku didn’t seem to care as he bounced the boy up and down.

 

“He looks just like me, I think,” Goku marveled as he sat down.

 

“Yeah especially with that whiny face,” Krillin teased.

 

“I expect you won’t ask for a paternity test,” Chi-Chi said flatly. At that Goku flashed her a look of irritation and said nothing. She knew she was being a tad bitchy at this point, but it was bothering her a lot to have her boy away from her, even if it was across a table.

 

Krillin raised a placating hand. “Okay, Chi-Chi, we’re friends, right? I want to deal with this like calm, rational adults.”

 

“I’m rational,” Chi-Chi said, and she heard Goku snort.

 

Krillin waved his hand again, another calming gesture. “Okay, I know, I know it’s going to take a while for everyone to get used to this. But anyway. Do you think we can figure out a custody arrangement without having to resort to formalities? We’ll do whatever you thinks is right, but like you kinda alluded to, it might be more expensive and more trouble than its worth if you want to go the formal route.”

 

“I want to see the boys every weekend,” Goku said suddenly.

 

“No,” Chi-Chi said immediately.

 

“You can’t stop me,” Goku said.

 

Chi-Chi flushed. “Actually, I can.”

 

“You want to bankrupt yourself to fight me?” Goku returned. “Not very responsible parenting, wouldn't you say Krillin?”

 

“No one is going bankrupt, okay?” Krillin sighed, his eyes bouncing between Goku and Chi-Chi. “Chi-Chi, I think once a week, unsupervised, is more than fair. Especially since he’s making up for lost time.”

 

“That wasn’t my fault,” Chi-Chi broke in shakily. “All that time lost is on him. Besides, I don’t want my children with an unstable parent.”

 

“I am perfectly capable of taking care of our sons,” Goku countered coolly.

 

“Yeah? Until you decide you want to play hero again?” Chi-Chi snapped.

 

“I quit the Navy,” Goku said, startling her.

 

“What?” Chi-Chi’s mind reeled at the revelation.

 

He shrugged. “You can’t get rid of me now. I’ll be here.”

 

Chi-Chi clenched her fists. Oh, so _now_ she couldn’t get rid of him? All she had wanted for the past ten years was for him to come home!

 

Of course.

 

Of course now they were divorced, he would decide to stay.

 

Clearly, the only reason he had ever wanted to leave was _her_.

 

She found herself getting to her feet and mumbling about having to head to the bathroom. She ignored their surprised looks as she shuffled herself into the women’s washroom and locked herself in a stall. She blinked rapidly to stem the sudden tears that threatened to burst forward.

 

She was right to have left him. It would have been inevitable, anyway.

 

Since _s_ _he_ wasn’t enough.

 

She was never enough.

 

Why did this hurt so much?

 

She hadn’t seen him in two years, and she divorced him because she felt abandoned, unloved… his quitting the Navy after _all_ this time, now they weren’t together… it was just a small sign that she had been right all along.

 

Maybe he never loved her.

 

Not really.

 

 _Pull yourself together, Chi-Chi_ , she told herself. She took a steadying breath and unlocked the stall, wiping the stray tear that fell down her cheek. She had to be strong. She had to be strong for her boys.

 

She had no other choice.

 

She walked out of the bathroom with a neutral expression and she was proud at her steady steps as she returned to the cafe table. There were two coffees on the table, and a third was in Krillin’s hand.

 

“Hey we got you some coffee,” Krillin said with an open expression.

 

“Oh. Thanks,” Chi-Chi said faintly. She looked down at her son who had stopped fussing and was now on Goku’s lap.

 

“He’s doing all right,” Goku said. The temperature in his voice had warmed up considerably, possibly due to the bundle of joy on his lap.

 

“Yeah, I see that,” Chi-Ch said, with a tremulous smile.

 

“So while you were gone, Goku and I came up with a compromise,” Krillin said carefully.

 

“Yeah?” Chi-Chi said, with a deep, resigned sigh.

 

“Every other weekend for the next two months, you can bring Goten and Gohan wherever you want and Goku will meet you. Just to get you all used to each other again,” Krillin went on. “And then afterward, every weekend, you take the boys to Goku’s house.”

 

Chi-Chi looked at her lap and tucked a spare strand of hair behind her ear. “I guess that can work.”

 

“Fantastic!” Krillin said enthusiastically.

 

“Can we go now?” Chi-Chi said abruptly, pointedly looking at Goten.

 

Krillin opened his mouth but Goku immediately said, “No. I just got here. I just met my son. We’re going to sit here as long as I want.”

 

“Really?” Chi-Chi said with a flash of irritation. “You’re going to breastfeed him too?”

 

“You can stay if you want,” Goku said, as if allowing her a great privilege.

 

Krillin sipped his coffee, a smile pasted against his round face, as he nodded at both of them. “Great, great, great.”

 

Chi-Chi wondered how she was going to survive the rest of this separation…

 

.

.

.

 

Somehow, a new routine was established. It was hard, really hard, but Chi-Chi knew that in the end, this was the _best_ for her boys. They should have their father in their lives, and the most important thing was that he was there. She had to be a _little_ grateful that he enthusiastically threw himself into Father of the Year role so quickly.

 

It honestly was night and day.

 

He wanted to do everything with his kids.

 

She’s been vindictively pleased when Gohan was initially _very_ reluctant to do anything with him, but that goddamn Goku charm… when he turned it _on,_ it was like the sun was shining and everything was warm, beautiful and all right. She used to be a victim of such bright attention; now she was delegated to the shadows.

 

Goku had wanted to know everything going on in Gohan’s life and had almost immediately added whatever Gohan mentioned into his calendar _right_ on the spot.

 

She felt like an alien had taken over Goku’s body.

 

While she was genuinely happy for her boys, she couldn’t help but think that the time away from _her_ had helped with this transformation. The impetus for all this change was triggered by her lack of presence. _She_ had held him back, somehow. How else could she explain how dramatically different he was to his boys?

 

Still, she couldn’t but feel completely vulnerable as two months passed like nothing and she was going to drop off her kids for their first over night stay with their father.

 

She could barely control herself as she handed over Goten’s baby bag at the threshold — she refused to enter his house — and stiltedly explain instructions. Gohan assured her that he’ll make sure everything was fine, loyal as he was. Gohan even went as far as to say he was totally going to be miserable and didn’t want to go, but Chi-Chi knew when her boy lied.

 

Gohan had his father back, after all.

 

While she had nothing.

 

“I think that’s it,” she said finally.

 

Goku nodded at her shortly. “Okay.”

 

“All right, mama has to say good-bye now,” Chi-Chi said, and to her horror, she found tears welling her eyes. She looked at the boy in Goku’s arms who was staring at her blankly, as if nothing was wrong.

 

“Mama,” Goten babbled.

 

“Bye, baby, bye-bye,” Chi-Chi gasped as she pressed her lips on those cherubic cheeks. A dam broke inside her as she kissed his sweet, soft flesh. Try as she might, she couldn’t stem the tears streaming down her face. She shook as she peppered more kisses on her baby.

 

“Chi-Chi,” Goku said softly, and for a moment, they locked eyes. For just a second, he seemed pained at seeing _her_ so upset. But then his expressions shuttered again. She stared at him miserably.

 

“You take care of him, okay?” she said, childishly wiping her cheeks as a sob broke through.

 

Goku looked away, shaking his head. She saw a muscle tick in his jaw.

 

“I hate it when you cry.”

 

Chi-Chi continued to swipe at her face. “Okay, sorry, I’m… I’m going to go.”

 

She took an unsteady step back and a fresh set of tears welled up. She hated this. She didn’t want to leave her children with him, she didn’t want to leave Goten…

 

Without another word, he stepped back and closed the door.

 

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	22. Chapter 22

Goku was still sleeping soundly when she woke up to her alarm the next morning. Considering that one embarrassing evening she tried to sneak into his room, the lack of reaction clearly told her that he still wasn’t a hundred percent.

 

He didn’t notice when she got up, but she observed with satisfaction that his pallor had greatly improved. Her eyes drifted lower to observe the rest of him, lingering at his exposed back and the blanket that outlined the shape of his bum.

 

She flushed as memories of their evening activities danced in her mind. She felt like such a deviant.

 

She quickly got her children ready for school, and wished them a great day before deciding to call Goku’s office to let them know he was still sick and wasn’t coming in. She found the wallet that she’d hastily stuffed into his backpack, looking to find a business card to find the number for his office.

 

“Oh!” she exclaimed as something fell out when she opened the leather fold.

 

She bent down to pick up the scrap of paper and stilled when she saw what it was.

 

A picture of her.

 

It wasn’t old… in fact, she knew it had been taken last summer when her family joined Bulma on a beach vacation. She recognized that yellow bikini top, which she’d bought just for the occasion. She looked freckled and happy, her nose looking a _wee_ sunburnt. She was laughing up at something, looking to the side, her hand against her hair as she tried to tame its tresses.

 

While the photo wasn’t _old_ , it was springtime now; almost a year at least.

 

He’d been keeping this shot of her with him for at least that long?

 

She looked at the sleeping figure on her bed, and back at the photo, unsure what it meant.

 

He shifted in bed and she hastily stuffed the photo back in his wallet. She found his business card and left the room.

 

His office answered on the second ring.

 

“Hi, yes, this is Goku’s—” She faltered.

 

What?

 

Ex-wife? Accurate, but awkward. Why would his ex-wife call on his behalf?

 

Girlfriend? A hysterical laugh bubbled up her throat. Was she his _girlfriend?_ It just sounded absurd.

 

Eventually, she settled with the neutral though highly inaccurate “friend” as she relayed to the receptionist that he had caught whatever was in the air at the office and was still recovering today. The woman on the other line was friendly and relayed to her that he was at least the third one this week to have called, so not to worry.

 

Once that was settled, she went to the kitchen and started planning out her day. She was looking through business cards from her last catering gig and making a list as to who to follow up on to see when she can be booked next, when Goku shuffled in.

 

He’d thrown on the t-shirt and sweatpants she’d hastily stuffed into his backpack

 

“Hey, how’re you feeling?” Chi-Chi asked, tapping a pen against her cheek.

 

“Better, thanks to you,” Goku said, leaning over to kiss her on the forehead.

 

“You hungry?” Chi-Chi asked, already getting up. He motioned her to sit.

 

“Keep working. Don’t let me bother you. I’ll make myself oatmeal or something,” Goku said.

 

She nodded. It was only after she was already finished making the list of who to call that she realized how very relaxed she was right now with having Goku just wander around her kitchen preparing himself a small breakfast.

 

Her smile widened as he Goku sat across her with the oatmeal.

 

This was so normal.

  
So lovely.

 

“By the way, I called your office to let them know you weren’t coming in,” Chi-Chi said.

 

“Oh, perfect, thanks,” Goku said brightly.

 

“Principal Analyst, Security & Special Projects,” Chi-Chi read out loud in a comically huffy voice as she drew his business card from her pile. Goku snorted at his own title and spooned his oatmeal.

 

“Fancy title for a spreadsheet jockey,” Goku said with a half smile.

 

“Found your card in your wallet,” Chi-Chi said casually, semi-fishing for a reaction. If he found anything odd in her statement, he didn’t show it as he ate his breakfast.

 

“What’s your plan for today?” Goku asked, eyeing the notebook and business cards in front of her.

 

“Lots of phone calls. I don’t have anything booked until tomorrow, so today is mostly follow-up on all the people that are interested in hiring me,” Chi-Chi explained.

 

“Business is going well, then?”

 

She nodded. “Catering money pays better, too. I really owe it to Bulma. Her connections are ridiculous. I mean as much as I love my dad and the restaurant, it’s a lot of hours and hard work for really little money. And at least I have my weekends free now, mostly, unless there’s a gig I can’t refuse.”

 

Ever since that giant fire that destroyed their family home and restaurant, complications with getting insurance money and having to rebuild, she didn’t want to burden her father unnecessarily on top of it all. She demanded she be paid just like any other employee of his, much to her father’s frustration. Chi-Chi was fiercely independent, for better or worse. So, it had been a struggle to finally get to this point but she was glad that she managed to figure out something that she enjoyed _and_ was financially more sound.

 

“That’s great, Chi-Chi,” Goku said, his tone admiring. “You worked so hard to get here. I’m not surprised you’re doing so well.”

 

“Mm, thanks. Daddy’s thinking of retiring soon. So I don’t know how the restaurant’s going to fit in that. I think he wants me to take over, but part of me just wants me to convert it to a commercial kitchen and downgrade the rest of the space to a smaller cafe, you know? So IChiGo is the main thing?”

 

“Have you told Papa Ox any of this yet?”

 

She smiled faintly at Goku’s address of her father. Her father had been devastated when he’d first learned of her broken marriage, feeling like he’d actually lost a son. She hadn’t told him anything yet about her current relationship with Goku because she didn’t want to disappoint him if it didn’t work out…

 

“No. I don’t want to hurt his feelings in case he thinks I’m insulting him by changing it. Besides, it’s kind of a pipe dream right now, really. Would cost an arm and a leg to reno the place. Most of what I’m making at IChiGo goes toward my the startup costs and of course, paying the bills.”

 

He was looking at her thoughtfully, a strange expression on his face.

 

“What?”

 

“I don’t want to be presumptuous,” Goku said raising his hands. “We… um, we haven’t talked about each other’s finances or anything. We probably should, though? Right?”

 

Chi-Chi’s cheeks warmed. Well, she supposed it was an inevitable thing for most serious couples. They hadn’t had a talk about money since they were married. After their divorce, the only money issues were child support payments and it _seemed_ like Goku was able to pay all his bills on time…

 

“Are we there yet?” Chi-Chi asked tentatively. “S-serious, I mean? Serious enough to talk about that?”

 

Goku leaned his elbow on the table, his cheek going to his fist.

 

“Regardless, we’ll _have_ to talk about how we’re going to help Gohan pay for college.”

 

Chi-Chi was quite annoyed that his answer basically dodged her question.

 

Still, that did bring up an important topic.

 

“Well, you know I started his college fund when he was a baby,” Chi-Chi said. “I’ve been adding to it as regularly as possible, so I think I can cover a year. Maybe more, but it depends on the school, I think. It sucks because maybe ten years ago, it would have covered all _four_ undergrad years, but do you know how ridiculous tuition is these days? Plus textbooks… It’s awful.”

 

“And he wants to go to med school, too,” Goku added with a sigh.

 

“Ugh, and I’m _thrilled_ but how am I going to pay for it?” Chi-Chi moaned.

 

“ _We_.”

 

“Hm?”

 

“How are _we_ going to pay for it,” Goku corrected gently.

 

“Right,” Chi-Chi said with a nervous nod. It was still an odd feeling to know that he was _fully_ co-parenting with her.

 

“I was thinking of selling my house,” Goku said finally. “It’s almost paid off, so anything I get from it can go toward Gohan and Goten’s education fund.”

 

Her eyes widened. Their own house, which she and her boys lived in for almost fifteen years was still _ten_ years away from being paid off.

 

“Really? Where will you live?”

 

He shifted awkwardly in his seat. “I guess it depends on what tuition costs. I can buy a smaller place, rent maybe? I don’t need a big house if Gohan’s off on his own. He won’t need to stay with his old man.”

 

Clearly, he’d thought this through already, but before they started seeing each other again.

 

It was then she realized that her innocent question had a few implications.

 

They were moving forward really well… but moving back in with her was a giant step.

 

Enormous.

 

“Goku… where did you get the money to buy your house?” When he didn’t answer immediately, she went on, “H-how are you able to pay it off so quickly? Being a Principal Analyst really pays that well?”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Goku said in an oddly clipped tone.

 

She blinked. He seemed really tense all of a sudden.

 

“You know, I’m still not feeling a hundred percent,” he said suddenly, getting to his feet. “I think I’m going to take a nap.”

 

Chi-Chi frowned. “O… okay…”

 

He quietly washed his bowl and spoon in the sink, before walking away without another word.

 

She looked at his retreating back, confused.

 

What was he hiding?

 

.

.

.

 

Chi-Chi was on the phone with Bulma scrolling through the brochure designs for IChiGo on her laptop.

 

She couldn’t help but giggle with a mixture of embarrassment and delight. The shots they chose were definitely from the dance party Lapis had started. The pic of Raditz and herself throwing the berries in the air full of delight and energy looked _so_ so good, and she never really noticed it at the time, but Raditz _was_ kinda cute… She supposed it was his job to portray some sex appeal.

 

“What do you think?” Bulma said on the line.

 

“This looks great! Probably even better than the one with Goku — though that’s between us.” Chi-Chi giggled some more.

 

“Mm, those were _great_ shots, though… maybe a little too Rated R. These Raditz ones are more Disney-level sexy.”

 

“I’m happy to keep the other photos private,” Chi-Chi said.

 

“Yeah, if you just e-sign a few things we have your official approval and we can send these to the printers. If you do it today, we should be able to give you a have a whole set of new collateral to bring to a gig next week.”

 

“This is amazing, Bulma, I don’t know how to thank you.”

 

“Become a runaway success! I get 20% after all!” Bulma said cheerfully on the line. Chi-Chi could hear the grin in her voice. “Anyway, how are you? I haven’t heard from you in a while. Any update on the Goku front?”

 

She shifted in her seat and looked behind her shoulder. Goku was still napping…

 

“Good. Actually, he’s over right now. At my house,” she said quietly, just in case.

 

“Really?” Bulma sounded really surprised. “Wow, that’s progress, isn’t it? Wait. Why’s he over during the day?”

 

“He’s sick. I’m kinda taking care of him.”

 

“Oh yuck, you two are gross,” Bulma said dryly.

 

“Well what do _you_ do when Vegeta gets sick?”

 

“Get out of the way. You see how he acts when he’s _well_ right? I don’t want to be around _that_ when he’s carrying some virus.”

 

Chi-Chi laughed. “Yeah, I suppose. Anyway, Goku’s just sleeping right now.”

 

“Awww… I’m so happy for you, Chi-Chi. I’m glad things are going well,” Bulma said warmly.

 

Chi-Chi looked behind her again and shifted the phone to her other ear.

 

“Look, Bulma, speaking of Goku… I was wondering… You, um, you had contact with him when he came back from his final tour, right?”

 

The other line was quiet for so long, Chi-Chi thought they had disconnected.

 

“Hello?” Chi-Chi ventured.

 

“I’m here,” Bulma said, her tone sounding oddly cautious.

 

“So Goku and I were just talking about how to pay for Gohan’s college. You know he graduates this year.”

 

“Chi-Chi, I can’t,” Bulma said immediately.

 

Chi-Chi lowered her phone and frowned. She hadn’t even told her about Goku’s plan to sell his house.

 

“I haven’t even asked you—”

 

“I know what you’re going to ask and it’s not for me to say, Chi-Chi, I’m sorry.”

 

“Bulma,” Chi-Chi’s tone was reproachful.

 

“ _No_ , Chi-Chi.” Bulma’s voice was firmer that she’s ever heard her friend. “Goku is my friend. If he isn’t comfortable with telling you himself, then you need to wait until he is. I’m not going to break his confidence.”

 

“What’s going on, Bulma?” Chi-Chi was starting to get worried.

 

What was going on about this house? Where had he gotten the money?

 

“You need to talk to him yourself,” Bulma insisted.

 

“Why can’t _you_ tell me? What is he hiding?”

 

“Chi-Chi!” Bulma’s tone was sharp and annoyed now. “Stop it. Remember when you asked me to _not_ tell a soul about Goten?”

 

Chi-Chi fell silent.

 

“I had to look Goku in the face when he came back all those years ago and I _forced_ my mouth shut. Because you _begged_ me to.”

 

“I know, Bulma, I know,” Chi-Chi said finally.

  
“So I’m just giving him the same courtesy. _If_ he decides to tell you, that’s should be his decision. I can’t get in the middle of this, Chi-Chi, that’s not fair.”

 

“No, no, I’m sorry, you’re right,” Chi-Chi said, thoroughly admonished.

 

“Anyway, I have to go now, but Chi-Chi… talk to him.”

 

“I’m _trying._ He shuts down when I bring it up.”

 

“Then you wait,” Bulma said matter-of-factly. “Okay, I am already running late for another meeting. Love you lady. Sign those approval forms.”

 

Chi-Chi said her good-byes and hung up.

 

She looked over her shoulder again, toward her room where Goku was still napping.

 

_What was he hiding?_

 

.

.

.


	23. Chapter 23

Normally, being invited over for a weekend at Capsule Corp wasn’t really an odd request from Bulma, but it _would_ be the first official public show of her and Goku’s reconciliation.

 

Sure, Bulma and Lazuli already knew, but she and Goku had kept most of what they currently had between themselves. No shared friend outings. Having them over at Capsule Corp made what she and Goku now had _more_ real.

 

They _were_ a couple. They _were_ together again, terrifying and thrilling as that was.

 

So it was a nice Saturday afternoon that Goku and Chi-Chi, along with Goten, made their way to Capsule Corporation. Gohan had gone off on a day date with Videl —finally a _real_ date, instead of “homework” — so he wasn’t able to join the festivities.

 

Interestingly enough, it was Lazuli and Krillin they saw first as they made their way to the yard. Krillin was moving something along on the grill, while Lazuli stood, looking as bored as she normally did with her toddler by her feet.

 

“Hey, guys!” Goku greeted cheerfully. “Goten, go play with Marron.”

 

Goten sniffed. “Aw, but she’s a girl.”

 

“Excuse me, your _mom_ is a girl. No son of mine will grow up to be a sexist. Go play _now_ ,” Chi-Chi snapped, pointing rather intimidatingly at the wide-eyed blonde moppet on the grass. Goten pouted but still skulked toward the three-year-old.

 

“Hey, Lazuli,” Chi-Chi said in a much more pleasant tone as she neared. They shared kisses on each other’s cheek.

 

“Mm hm,” Lazuli said, with a pointed side eye to Goku, then back at her. Goku was already over at the grill with Krillin, oblivious.

 

“Yes,” Chi-Chi said.

 

“So okay, you weren’t lying, good to know,” Lazuli drawled. Chi-Chi’s lips parted.

 

“Why would I lie?!”

 

“To stop Bulma and I from bugging you about your sex life,” she said flatly, but a corner of her mouth quirked.

 

“Well, it’s _real_. I came here with him,” Chi-Chi asserted, eyeing Goku who was now animatedly talking to Krillin.

 

“Well, too bad, I suppose. I thought you were going to be my sister-in-law,” Lazuli said. Chi-Chi started and Lazuli’s laughter was tinkling and wry. “I’m kidding. By the way, he wants me to tell you he’s sorry.”

 

Chi-Chi frowned slightly. “Oh?”

 

“Yeah. Lapis says he’s sorry for forcing himself on you.”

 

Goku had suddenly materialized behind them and Chi-Chi cursed his awful timing.

 

“ _What?_ ” he bit out.

 

Chi-Chi pinched the bridge of her nose. It was as if he was drawn to any and every instance that Lapis was going to be mentioned in the worst, out-of-context way.

 

“Goku, I told you about it. He kissed me without permission. _That’s_ all.”

 

He still looked rather disconcerted about it all and she felt his arm go around her waist possessively.

 

“Can you tell your brother to stay away from my wife please?”

 

At that, Lazuli’s brows raised. Chi-Chi was rather startled.

 

He just referred to her as his wife. Did he _notice?_ Was it just a slip?

 

“I am not a personal messenger,” Lazuli said with a hand wave, politely ignoring how he addressed Chi-Chi. “Just punch him in the face next time you see him.”

 

“Lazuli! He’s your brother!” Chi-Chi exclaimed.

 

Lazuli lifted a shoulder. “Exactly. He needs to get put in his place once in a while.”

 

“Where’s Bulma?” Chi-Chi asked, trying to change the subject.

 

“Bulma and Vegeta said hi, then got into a screaming match the next second. Can’t keep up with those two,” Krillin piped in from the side, waving the metal spatula.

 

“I think she’s fighting or fucking Vegeta right now. Probably the first, then the next,” Lazuli said matter-of-factly, as if describing the weather.

 

“Where’s Trunks?” Chi-Chi ventured. “I think I want to bail out my son from entertaining your daughter, lovely as she is.”

 

Both Lazuli and Chi-Chi looked at the sweetly babbling blonde girl, and an utterly bored looking Goten. Still her son was humoring whatever topic she brought up, and had started to tell her about school even though she barely understood what he was going on about.

 

“Trunks’ grandparents whisked him away when the screaming started. I think they took him for a walk. They should be back soon,” Lazuli explained.

 

Chi-Chi pursed her lips. Sometimes Bulma worried her. She was no stranger to awkward screaming fights, but _Bulma’s_ marriage was supposed to be the _stable_ one. But, she supposed all her friends were used to everyone’s dysfunction by now. It was actually pretty amazing to think about, how all three couples managed to witness each other’s breakdowns in minor or major ways.

 

Though, she supposed that Lazuli had the least amount of drama. There was that runaway bride situation where she didn’t show up at her own wedding, but after that was resolved, Lazuli and Krillin had the _strongest_ relationship of all of them. For someone so cynical, Lazuli was actually a romantic at heart. And Krillin, despite being a divorce lawyer, was one, too.

 

Maybe all that cynicism allowed them to be _super_ practical with each other, Chi-Chi mused.

 

“Should I go check on them?” Goku wondered aloud.

 

“They’re fine. Bulma told us _not_ to leave, so that pretty much guarantees to me this is one of their weird public foreplay things,” Lazuli said wryly.

 

“Burgers are almost done,” Krillin said cheerfully.

 

Chi-Chi muffled her laughter. Her group of friends were definitely weird and way too used to messed up relationship dynamics.

 

True to Lazuli’s prediction, Bulma came out momentarily, looking like nothing had happened and she’d just shown up fashionably late… at her own home. Vegeta came by a little later but predictably hovered by the grill instead of where everyone had later congregated by the picnic tables. Trunks was also close by, to the delight of Goten, and the two best friends ran off to play.

 

Goku eventually joined Vegeta by the grill, talking to him cheerfully while the shorter man scowled, clearly annoyed and disinterested in the conversation. Yet, Goku persisted. Chi-Chi didn’t understand why Goku was _s_ o friendly toward the man.

 

Afterward, they all gave each other rundowns of each other’s lives. Goku had joined them by this time, but Vegeta still hovered by the grill.

 

“So, Gohan is on a _date,_ huh?” Bulma said with a sly tone.

 

“He’s supposed to call me when he gets home,” Chi-Chi broke in. “It’s only supposed to be a _day_ date.”

 

“He’s a good kid, Chi-Chi, don’t worry,” Goku said, his voice tinged with laughter.

 

“He’s getting ready to graduate, isn’t he?” Krillin broke in. “Man, kids grow up so fast. I remember when I could still give him piggy back rides!”

 

“Where’s he planning on going?” Lazuli asked, as she sipped on a glass of wine.

 

Chi-Chi’s smile faltered. “I don’t know. Part of me wants him to go to Toriyama University, to be close _and_ it’s less expensive. But of course, I want him to go to the absolute best place that would take him. Don’t know how we can afford that, though, especially since I think he might be planning on med school, too.”

 

“I thought Goku was going to sell his house for the tuition?” Krillin said, not catching Goku’s abrupt shake of the head.

 

Chi-Chi pasted a smile on her face. So _Krillin_ knew about the house too?

 

Was she the _last_ one to know about anything?

 

Bulma coughed awkwardly. “I’m going to see if Vegeta is burning those sausages.”

 

Krillin looked between Chi-Chi and Goku, his face uncertain. “Oh, uh…”

 

“Bulma showed me some pictures of your marketing campaign,” Lazuli broke in smoothly, as if the mood around the picnic table hadn’t changed.

 

Chi-Chi was grateful for the transition.

 

“Yes, they turned out quite well,” Chi-Chi said with more enthusiasm than necessary. She just felt so awkward. “No thanks to me. It’s a miracle I turned out okay in those shots.”

 

“You know, those sausages are probably done by now,” Goku said abruptly, getting up from the bench. Chi-Chi’s eyes followed him in surprise.

 

Lazuli waved her hand in front of Chi-Chi, “Tell me more about the shoot.”

 

Chi-Chi tore her eyes from Goku and went on to explain the impromptu dance party, and soon the conversation transitioned to lighter topics, the mood lightening considerably over time.

 

As the BBQ wound down, Chi-Chi set off to clean up and throw the garbage from the meal. She was by the trash can when she was startled by a shadow.

 

“So are you and the fool back together permanently?”

 

Chi-Chi started at the abrupt question posed to her by the last man she expected to approach her at the get-together. Clipped and presumptuous was his tone— Chi-Chi felt herself bristle.

 

She looked over to the side where Goku and Krillin were playing with the kids. Bulma and Lazuli were off making drinks inside Capsule Corp.

 

Why was Vegeta talking to her?

 

“I… hope so?” Chi-Chi said tentatively, honestly. There were no guarantees, but they seemed to be headed in the right direction. She heard Vegeta scoff and cross his arms.

 

“I suggest you make your mind up about that.”

 

Her hackles rose. “That’s none of your business.”

 

“I’m making it my business because _my woman_ makes it hers. You and that dumb clod are stressing her out with your insanity,” Vegeta went on tersely. “Either shut the fuck up about your latest drama or figure it out, I don’t care. As long as you leave my wife alone.”

 

Chi-Chi supposed that this was Vegeta’s way of actually giving a shit about Bulma, rude as he was. And she grudgingly had to admit he was right… she and Goku had unfairly placed Bulma multiple times between their own, very serious conflicts.

 

“Fine,” Chi-Chi said shortly.

 

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at her, like he was analyzing her innermost thoughts. It was rather disconcerting, since she was never really a subject to his attention. Chi-Chi wondered how Bulma could handle such a difficult and intense man.

 

Eventually, Vegeta shook his head and turned, his expression as haughty as a prince from a foreign land. Chi-Chi grimaced at the blatant dismissal.

 

They both looked toward Goku who was wrestling with both Trunks and Goten on the grass. They were starting to pile on him now, so Goku pretended he was being squished to death, groaning theatrically.

 

“What a clown,” Vegeta said.

 

“Why are you such an asshole to him?” Chi-Chi asked, her patience running out. Goku was _nothing_ but nice to the man… Vegeta didn’t turn to her, but simply crossed his arms.

 

“ _I’m_ an asshole? I saved his life. You almost ended it. Who’s the asshole?”

 

Chi-Chi was startled at the vehemence in his words, flushing at the judgement in his voice. Vegeta still didn’t turn to her, simply glowering at Krillin and Goku chasing all their children across the yard.

 

“You’re a prick,” Chi-Chi snapped, turning to leave.

 

“You think I’m exaggerating.”

 

Chi-Chi’s blood ran cold at Vegeta’s arctic tone. Despite herself, she turned back.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

Vegeta shook his head, flashing his canines. It was nowhere near friendly.

 

“None of my business, you said. You figure it out. He told me you’re supposed to be the smart one.”

 

Without another word, the dark man walked away, leaving Chi-Chi utterly confused.

 

.

.

.

 

“It was nice to get the gang together for a bit, right?” Goku said as they readied themselves for bed at his home. Since it was the weekend, they were staying at his house. She was already in her pajamas as she sat on Goku’s bed, combing her hair.

 

Chi-Chi smiled at Goku, but Vegeta’s last words to her had been ringing in her mind all day. It put a damper on an otherwise pleasant outing with friends and their kids, catching up. Goku must have noticed something in her expression because he sat beside her and nudged her gently.

 

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

 

“I feel like I’m missing something, but everyone _else_ knows what it is,” Chi-Chi said finally. His expression shuttered. “Why is the house… _this_ house such a big deal?”

 

“It’s not, Chi-Chi, it’s just a house,” Goku said. He sounded impatient.

 

“If it’s not a big deal, then why do you act weird when I bring up how—” Chi-Chi countered, crossing her arms.

 

“Why are you so obsessed with it?” Goku interrupted. “Honestly, does it matter how I got the money? I don’t ask you about every cent you’ve earned in seven years.”

 

Chi-Chi was upset with his tone. “Yeah, but it’s not a big deal. I’m not asking for an itemized list. You know exactly how _I_ pay my bills. What’s going on? Is it… illegal?”

 

Goku barked a laugh at her last question. “No, Chi-Chi.”

 

“How am I supposed to know?” Chi-Chi threw her hands in the air. “You’re being _so_ weird about it, it’s the only thing I can figure…!”

 

“Just drop it, Chi-Chi.”

 

Chi-Chi was at her wit’s end. “How can we move forward if you keep things from me?”

 

Goku was silent.

 

“I don’t want secrets between us,” Chi-Chi said, swallowing the lump in her throat.

 

“Like when you hid Goten from me?” Goku shot at her.

 

He might as well have struck her across the face.

 

She could only gape at him mutely for a few moments before stating the same refrain.

 

“I didn’t _hide_ him.” she said for the millionth time, confused and hurt as to why Goku was behaving this way. “The most I did was tell Bulma _not_ to tell anyone because it wasn’t for her to tell! If you came home—”

 

“I didn’t, though, did I?”

 

Chi-Chi shifted away from him. “Why are you being like this?”

 

“Why do you keep trying to justify what you did? Even if I was the monster you thought I was, you _still_ should have told me about Goten.”

 

Chi-Chi started to tremble in shock. Why was he bringing this up _now_? She thought he’d _understood…_

 

“D-don’t change the subject,” Chi-Chi said firmly as possible, though the words were hard to spit out. He was trying to start an age-old fight to distract her. “I don’t know why everyone _else_ gets to know what’s going on about this stupid house but me.”

 

“Because I don’t want to tell you,” Goku said bluntly.

 

Chi-Chi stared at him shock.

 

“We can’t have secrets,” Chi-Chi said shakily.

 

Goku’s jaw set. He said nothing.

 

“I… don’t think we can work out if you can’t be honest with me.”

 

He turned his head and she saw his fists clench.

 

How could this be happening? Chi-Chi thought, numb. Who was this man in front of her? He was sweet and affectionate only a few moments earlier. Now, it was as if winter had drifted over the room, plunging the temperature by several degrees.

 

Chi-Chi covered her mouth. She couldn’t believe that he was willing to throw away _everything_ they’d been working toward the past couple of months over _this_. Based on that, it must be something large enough to _matter_.

 

“Maybe we need to take a break,” Chi-Chi said as the silence became unbearable.

 

His turned away from her, but she saw his hand go to his face. He said nothing, but she could feel him tense. She reached out to him, a small hand on his back. He flinched as if burned, and the gesture hurt Chi-Chi more than she thought it would.

 

She retracted her fingers, swallowing and nodding rapidly as she felt her eyes fill with unshed tears.

 

“Okay,” she whispered. “Okay.”

 

She retreated.

 

Without warning, she felt his hand grip her upper arm and she found herself propelled onto the mattress. She gasped in shock, now utterly discombobulated. Their gazes connected silently for a moment. He seemed to be searching her face desperately, like trying to discern a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve. His face began to blur, a tear spilling down her cheek.

 

The next moment, he grasped both sides of her face and crushed his lips to hers.

 

For a split second, she resisted, but when his tongue teased her bottom lip, she opened up like a flower reaching toward the sun. Like a flower, she felt energy seep into her bones from the contact. She heard him moan quietly at her capitulation, their mouths moving like they were both seeking sustenance, just out of reach. He dropped his hands from her face to pull her flush against his body, causing her senses to short-circuit.

 

And then as quickly as it started, it was over. He pushed her back lightly, his breathing ragged, his face…

 

He looked angry and hurt, all at the same time, like she’d done him a huge injustice.

 

“Let me have this. At least for a little while longer,” Goku rasped.

 

“What…?”

 

“I’ll tell you, all right? I’ll tell you everything,” Goku said, kissing her again, and it felt desperate. “Just… give me a little while longer. _Please_.”

 

Chi-Chi was totally shaken at how the evening had turned out, but she couldn’t let this go.

 

“When?” she asked softly.

 

He blew out a breath.

 

“A week,” he said. “Give me a week.”

 

“Promise?” Chi-Chi was done with hiding. With distractions.

 

She was done with secrets that tore them apart.

 

He kissed her again, then nodded, touching his forehead against hers.

 

“Okay,” she whispered, again. “Okay.”

 

.

.

.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, here it is, the big reveal, the big talk. This is ANGST with some talk of war trauma.
> 
> You'll see why he was very very very reluctant to tell Chi-Chi anything, and also what was going through Chi-Chi's mind when she sent him those fateful papers...
> 
> We're nearing the denouement here guys... :)

The next week _seemed_ like all the other weeks. Chi-Chi stayed the rest of the weekend at his home. She went to his house on Wednesday for their regular sleepover. They spoke about their days like they normally did and Chi-Chi relayed everything about their kids… nothing out of the ordinary.

 

But at night… at night they simply held each other quietly and fell asleep the same way.

 

Chi-Chi waffled over pushing the issue. Goku seemed really upset about it all and she wondered if she was doing the right thing by getting him to explain… then she remembered _Bulma_ knew about it, and possibly Krillin. It just didn’t make sense for _her_ to be in the dark about it.

 

They decided to use the Friday evening that Gohan was going to babysit Goten to be the night they hashed this all out at his place.

 

She was incredibly nervous when she finally made her way to Goku’s house. She used her spare key to come in.

 

“Goku?”

 

“In here. The kitchen,” she heard Goku say.

 

She found him still in his work clothes, but his pale blue button-up shirt was untucked.

 

He was subdued, but otherwise looked fine.

 

She immediately noticed something on the kitchen table. It was a thick manila folder, clearly filled with various documents. Next to it was a glass of whiskey, neat.

 

“What’s that?” Chi-Chi asked, already her pulse increasing.

 

Goku said nothing, simply gesturing to the seat beside him. She sat and looked at him nervously, and was surprised when he reached out and took her hand in his.

 

“Look, Chi… what I’m going to say isn’t easy,” Goku said gravely. “And I honestly don’t want to put you in this position, but you said no secrets.”

 

Chi-Chi nodded.

 

She asked for this.

 

She was ready.

 

Or as ready as she’d ever be.

 

He nodded faintly. “Okay. I… I need you to answer a question for me first.”

 

“Okay.” She looked at him openly, ready to place all their cards on the table.

 

“I made… we _both_ made a lot of assumptions these past few years. And I think part of where we’re at now is because we jumped to the wrong ones.” There was a hint of wryness in his tone, resigned over the reality of their situation but helpless to change the past.

 

“Something just… it doesn’t add up. When I think about these past seven years, _these past few weeks_. You and me,” he said, eyeing her carefully.

 

Chi-Chi nodded, urging him to go on.

 

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” he began, his tone cautious. “But it took me this long to wonder if...”

 

He trailed off, clearly still unsure.

 

“If what?” Chi-Chi prompted.

 

“If you hadn’t meant to go through the divorce,” he said in a rush.

 

Her hands were still in his, so he could clearly feel the slight tremble in her fingertips.

 

She swallowed the lump in her throat.

 

There it was.

 

So starkly put.

 

“No, I hadn't,” she said finally, regretfully.

 

“Chi-Chi…” Goku breathed, his eyes widening in surprise, though he had run to the correct conclusion. “Why… so why _did_ you? Why’d you send me those papers?”

 

“I almost lost Goten,” Chi-Chi blurted out, and the revelation had Goku’s fingers tighten. “Four months after you left, I… I was practically working full time and I was six months pregnant then. And I don’t know, it wasn’t as easy as Gohan’s pregnancy. I should have asked for help from Daddy or Bulma, I don’t know. You know how stubborn I am.”

 

She took a shaky breath. It was a long time ago, but the memory still shook her. “I was doing a shift at the restaurant when I started hemorrhaging. I was bleeding, the works. Daddy thought _I_ was dying.”

 

“Dende, Cheech...” Goku breathed, his brows drawing together sharply, his face screwed in pain at the revelation.

 

“Anyway, Goten’s fine, obviously. I’m here. But I didn’t know we would be okay back then,” Chi-Chi said heavily. “I panicked. I _needed_ you and I almost sent for an emergency message to explain… but then I was mad.”

 

Her face crumpled. “Obviously I was not in my right mind, I was too scared about what had almost happened, and I started to blame you. I thought if you had been home, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. So I tried to think of… a reason for you to jump back on a plane, something _dramatic_ enough, that won’t get you to say, ‘Just be patient’ for the millionth time. Something serious.”

 

Goku dropped her hand so he could place it over his mouth. He simply shook his head as he stared at her in disbelief.

 

“Instead you signed them back in two weeks!” Chi-Chi exclaimed, her face reddening in hurt and humiliation. “And I thought, wow, _wow…_ you couldn’t even—”

 

“Chi-Chi, I called you _every day_ for two weeks straight when I got them!” Goku countered, anger sharpening his gaze. He looked so frustrated. “You didn’t give me a _chance—”_

 

“What? So we could talk about our marriage, Goten and everything that happened _on the phone?!_ ” Chi-Chi retorted. Her insides roiled at the memory. “I knew you could have asked for a temporarily leave of absence. But you didn’t, did you?”

 

“Chi, you don’t understand. This mission, I couldn’t leave, all right? That’s not how it works. I could have _asked_ , yes, you’re right, but those are _requests —_ they not granted mandatorily. It depends on what’s going on at the time,” Goku said, exasperation dripping in his tone.

 

“I didn’t know, I didn’t know,” Chi-Chi said, her eyes finally welling with tears. “I… dammit, Goku, I just wanted us to be together.”

 

“It didn’t feel like that,” Goku said in disbelief. “I thought when you didn’t return my calls you just wanted me out of your life ASAP. I… I signed them so quickly because I thought maybe you were right, you and Gohan would be better off without me. You _told_ me before I left that I wouldn’t have a wife to come home to…”

 

Chi-Chi buried her face in her hands, weeping.

 

“Oh, Chi-Chi… I wish… I really wish you hadn’t. I really wish I didn’t sign them so quickly. I wish a lot of things,” Goku said finally, sounding distraught.

 

“I wanted to know if you _wanted_ to come home to _me_ ,” Chi-Chi whispered between her tears. “Not out of duty. Not out of obligation. But because you wanted to be _with me_.”

 

“Oh, Chi.” Goku looked at her despairingly. “I don’t… I had no idea… I don’t understand how you can’t see… if I knew, I… Dende, so many bad decisions… I… we… so many bad decisions.”

 

They were silent for a while, lost in their own thoughts and guilt over their mistakes when finally, Goku slid the manila folder toward her.

 

“You asked me where I got the money to pay for this house.”

 

His voice was flat.

 

Shakily, she opened the folder and right on top was a photograph of Goku in his Navy fatigues, smiling widely and brandishing a peace sign. Next to him was a woman with pin-straight dark hair and a dark haired boy.

 

“That’s Leena and Gelbo.”

 

Chi-Chi took the photo into her hands. “Who… are they to _you?_ ”

 

“Nothing.” His eyes were dull when they looked at her. “They’re dead.”

 

The blood drained from her face.

 

“What happened?” she breathed.

 

He raised his eyes to the ceiling and took a deep breath.

 

“There’s a division in the Navy that’s… not nice. They work alongside the Universal Intelligence Agency, real heavy stuff. Before he quit, Vegeta was captain of that org. I mean, that should have been my clue right? It was too much for _him_. But when I got your papers...”

 

Chi-Chi’s eyes rounded as the terrifying reality dawned.

 

This was her fault.

 

This was all her fault.

 

“It’s not your fault,” Goku said, reading her mind accurately. “This is on me. I made the stupid decision _not_ to come home after you sent me those papers, because I was too torn up. I could have gone home after that first mission, but I was being self-destructive. I should have been brave enough to face you and Gohan… even if you really didn’t want to see me again, I still should have—”

 

“What happened? To this woman? This boy?” Chi-Chi interrupted. She didn’t want him to go down a shame spiral, when this awful mess was definitely a mix of both their own bad thought processes.

 

He pressed his lips together and was silent for a few beats.

 

“I was supposed to protect them. They were a part of a long, ongoing, sensitive mission. Leena… she reminded me of you. She liked to shout a lot, but deep down was a super sweet girl,” Goku said shaking his head as his eyes filled with moisture. “I was supposed to protect them all. There was a person of interest in her village. We were meant to do an extraction, but I don’t know… we were working with bad intel. Something went sideways. There was a firefight.”

 

Chi-Chi felt tears spring to her eyes.

 

“Twenty people died that day,” Goku said, but his voice was even. “Leena and Gelbo included.”

 

“Oh my god,” Chi-Chi gasped.

 

“I tried to save them, but instead, I got thrown back by an IED. It was only a miracle I wasn’t close enough to be blown to bits… but I _was_ close enough to get slammed into a tank, shatter my leg, and fall into a coma.”

 

“ _Oh my god!_ ”

 

“Yep.” His tone continued to sound oddly matter-of-fact, like conveying the weather. “Six months of physio and rehab after I woke up.”

 

Chi-Chi felt like she was going to pass out.

 

“How did I not know about this? How…?”

 

“Chi,” that carefully modulated voice was now laced with pain. “We were divorced by then, remember?”

 

Chi-Chi covered her mouth with both her hands as abject horror and despair washed over her. She would have had _no right_ to know, except as a footnote next to her kids.

 

She had no words.

 

She had been so fixated on the photograph that she hadn’t peered more deeply into the rest of the folder contents, until Goku tapped on the x-ray on top of a ream of papers.

 

“That’s my metal tibia,” Goku said, pointing to one side. “The surgeon did a good job stitching me up. I’m actually surprised you didn’t notice, but maybe because I’m such a broken guy that you just though one scar was just like the others. Anyway, this was part of the evidence…”

 

She was speechless as he moved the X-ray aside and pointed to the ream of paper.

 

“That’s my legal settlement. I don’t know _how_ , but Bulma was keeping tabs on me. Or technically _Vegeta_ was, based on her request. It was his old stomping grounds after all. Somehow he found out about this botched raid, the amount of civilian casualties and, well, _me…”_

 

“… _I saved his life. You almost ended it…”_

 

Vegeta’s words started to make sense. Chi-Chi bit her lip from crying out.

 

Goku sighed as he waved his hand. “I was unconscious for most of this, but apparently it could have been this giant international incident. It made the news, but was heavily buried.”

 

He flipped the ream of pages to reveal a few newspaper cutouts. Little blips in the “international news” section, barely a paragraph or two. He pushed the articles toward her. She couldn’t look at it.

 

She didn’t need to.

 

“No one at home knows about it, not really. Anyway, when I came to and was in the middle of all my recovery, Bulma sent me these papers and told me that if I sign them, promising to never tell a soul about the entire fiasco, that the government was going to write me a giant check. On the condition that I quietly ‘retire’ from the Navy. They had to cover all their tracks.”

 

“Oh, Goku...” Chi-Chi shook her head in disbelief. “You went through so much… I’m so sorry.”

 

Goku seemed surprised at her reaction. “You didn’t put that IED in my way. You didn’t kill anyone.”

 

“But I wasn’t there… I wasn’t there for you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” Chi-Chi cried, burying her face in her hands once more.

 

“Don’t be. This is all my fault.” He sounded very bitter.

 

Chi-Chi gasped. “H-how can you say that?”

 

Goku looked away. She saw a stray tear streak down his face.

 

“It was _my_ bad intel.”

 

Dawning horror settled on Chi-Chi.

 

“ _I_ killed those people, Chi-Chi. It was my fault they died. And I got _paid_ for it,” Goku said, his voice full of self-loathing. He was ashen, his hand shaking as he ran his hand through his hair.

 

“Goku, no.”

 

“I shouldn’t have even been there. I shouldn’t have signed up for it. Any of it.”

 

Chi-Chi had seen all manner of expressions from Goku, but _this…_ this _anguish_ , this horrifying guilt, was on another level. She had never seen him look so torn apart, not even when he’d found out about Goten on that awful day with the lawyers.

 

Goku looked _haunted._

 

“I almost didn’t sign this. I should be in jail,” Goku said bluntly. “I should be _dead_.”

 

“D-don’t say that,” Chi-Chi gasped. She had no idea how to process all of this information.

 

It was too much!

 

He took a deep breath and ran his hand over his face.

 

“See why I didn’t want to tell you? But you said no secrets. So here it is. You’re with a monster.”

 

“You’re not a monster, Goku!” Chi-Chi denied, shaking her head. “I don’t understand the details, but… there’s not an evil bone in your body. Whatever you did, whatever you found… I know you. You did the best you could, with what you knew, right?”

 

“My _best_ got people killed, Chi-Chi.”

 

Chi-Chi’s heart broke for him.

 

“The _only_ reason I took the money — the _only_ reason — was for you and the boys,” he said heavily. His dark eyes were sorrowful as he looked at her.

 

Chi-Chi’s chin quivered as she tried not to burst out sobbing.

 

Goku shook his head, as he worked his jaw, trying to keep it together. After a moment, he looked at her again.

 

“Now you know where the money comes from,” Goku said dully.

 

Chi-Chi wiped her cheeks. “Now I know.”

 

“I _never_ wanted you to know. I’d already disappointed you so much.

 

Vegeta’s a SAIYAN, and this was _his_ old division. I’m _sure_ he went through worse _,_ had done worse, if you can believe it. He thinks I’m being… well, stupid, I guess.  
  
And Bulma… Bulma’s like my big sis, she just wants to take care of me, always has. She also thinks I’m being too hard on myself, but I was _there_. I know what happened.  
  
And Krillin knew because Krillin is… well, he’s my best friend _and_ my lawyer, so he kinda read through the settlement with me.

 

I wasn’t going around telling everyone about this and keeping it from you because I trusted _them_ more.

 

And this was six or so years ago. We were _definitely_ not on good terms back then and there would be no reason to tell you. And _now…_ I didn’t want to tell you _because_ we’re on good terms…”

 

Chi-Chi nodded, a few more tears leaking out of her eyes.

 

“I understand, Goku….”

 

Goku nodded gravely. “I’m sorry.”

 

“No, _I’m_ sorry _._ I don’t believe for one second any of this was your fault— no, nothing you can say will change my mind,” Chi said firmly, lifting her hand to stem Goku’s protests. She didn’t have the whole story, but she was sure there was something missing here.

 

Goku was the type to take full responsibility for anything and everything that involved him, right or wrong.

 

Including their divorce.

 

But after seven years, she now knew that they both had equal blame on that front.

 

“I _know_ you, Goku Son. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you were going through this. I’m sorry that I was so wrapped up in my own pain that I didn’t think about… about the reality of the things you had to do, what you saw, when you were serving. I blocked it out because I was too scared,” Chi-Chi said shakily. “And I was _lonely_ a-and I missed you so much. I was tired and pregnant and so scared… ”

 

Goku’s eyes brimmed with tears at her words, though none fell.

 

“I’m so sorry Chi-Chi. You deserve better. You deserve better than me.”

 

“Let me be the judge of that, okay?” Chi-Chi said. She got shakily to her feet and rounded toward him. He blinked in surprise when she sat on his lap and pressed her lips against his. He sat still, unmoving.

 

She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed.

 

“I love you, Goku,” she whispered.

 

At her soft declaration, he began to shake. Soon, his strong arms wrapped around her waist, holding her like a life raft. She could feel moisture against her skin as he buried his face against the crook of her neck.

 

“I love you, too.”

 

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the 2 year timeline (aka why he was away for so long):
> 
>   * Goku’s next tour was meant to be ~6 months. He tries to call and write Chi-Chi during this time. Near the tail end, gets Chi-Chi’s divorce papers (about a month or so after she had that scare with Goten’s pregnancy, or about five months since he first left) 
>   * He signs them, and then promptly volunteers for Vegeta’s old organization for another ~6 month mission. He still tries to call and write Chi-Chi during this time, too. 
>   * Near the end of that, all the drama with Leena and Gelbo’s village happens. 
>   * Then he’s in the hospital: 1 month out of it, 6 months rehab/physio (remember he had a shattered tibia that needed replacing, other major surgery, on top of muscle atrophy from coma). Still miraculous for him to recover relatively well. For obvious reasons, he has stopped trying to contact Chi-Chi at this time. 
>   * It takes him around 3-4 months to get re-situated to civilian life to: continue physio/getting better, buy a house, look for another job/finish the last of his business degree, contact Chi-Chi… and then you get to the point where they meet at Towa Demon’s office. 
> 



	25. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, this is the end. It's pretty much just 100% fluff. Enjoy!

“… our valedictorian, Gohan Son, will now say a few words.”

 

Goku, Chi-Chi, Ox and Goten, along with Bulma, shot to their feet, hooting and hollering. Vegeta stayed seated, arms crossed, simply observing everyone else around him gawk at the crazy people making noise.

 

“Hi, mom, dad, grampy, bro,” Gohan said wryly as he got to the stage. “Aunty Bulma, hi.”

 

The crowd chuckled lightly as the boisterous adults finally settled down.

 

Chi-Chi was already tearing up and her son hadn’t even started. Goku wrapped his arm around her shoulders and rubbed her arm comfortingly, bestowing a kiss on her hair. She looked to the side and saw Videl beaming at her boyfriend at the front row.

 

How was she going to handle this entire ceremony without turning into a blubbering mess?

 

“Fellow students,” Gohan began, after clearing his throat. “Today, we are on the threshold of a new chapter in our lives, full of our hopes and dreams. Blah, blah, insert inspirational quote here. Whoops, I guess I should have edited this script before I started reading it.”

 

Gohan winked at the crowd after his small joke and polite laughter.

 

Chi-Chi’s heart clenched. He was his father’s son, through and through.

 

“Anyway, I can use this speech to talk about the _past_ few years… about excellence and friendships and the Shooting Stars winning the championship—”

 

Gohan paused and grinned as his fellow students cheered.

 

“—Or I can give everyone my thoughts on what I think it means to be successful for the future, about setting goals and how to approach the _next_ few years.”

 

He paused, and Chi-Chi saw her son look directly at her.

 

“But instead, I want to talk a little bit about sacrifice.”

 

Chi-Chi blinked.

 

“I want to talk about my mom.”

 

Chi-Chi’s lips parted, utterly stunned. She saw her father, Goku and Bulma turn their heads toward her, with wide grins.

 

“A nerd _and_ a mama’s boy?” Gohan went on with a self-deprecating grin, while Chi-Chi gaped at him in shock. “Oh, yes, I have to bat the ladies away with a stick.”

 

More polite laughter.

 

“Anyway, while we’re in an institution of learning and I’m supposed to talk about how school has taught me everything, at the end of the day, I got here because of what _my mom_ taught me.

 

Because it was my mom that taught me about sacrifice and hard work and determination.”

 

Chi-Chi couldn’t stop herself. She was crying already. She felt Goku’s arm rub her shoulder again, and his lips found her temple this time.

 

“I’m not here because I’m the smartest in this school, contrary to what this plaque says. There are so many I am proud to call my friend that could be standing here at this podium right now, who I respect very much, for their intelligence and skill.

 

But I want everyone here to leave understanding that you can’t get through life — or _succeed —_ without sacrifice.

 

And by that, I don’t necessarily mean money or going without.

 

My mom taught me that sacrifice isn’t about being a martyr.

 

No, what my mom sacrificed is something you can never buy.

 

And after thinking about the past and future, I think we must remember…

 

The most precious resource we have is our time.”

 

Gohan paused to let it sink in. Chi-Chi realized she was holding her breath.

 

“And that was a resource my mom gave in spades. Not because she taught us that one extra hour of studying makes a difference, though it does.

 

What she taught me the most is that _time is precious_.

 

Time can’t be wasted. So use every second, every minute, _trying you_ _r best_. In your studies, in your work, in your relationships.

 

Because that’s all we can do.”

 

Gohan took a deep, shaky breath.

 

“You can’t get lost time back.”

 

Chi-Chi heard Goku sniff beside her.

 

“But most of all, my mom taught me that time _moves on_ , that we _all_ move on, that we can grow, we can be _better_. We just need to give it time and effort. It just takes time.

 

It takes _time_ to learn. Time to _care_.

 

It takes sacrifice.

 

So my fellow students, in the eponymous words of the poet of our time, Dave Grohl—”

 

Genuine laughter from the crowd surrounded Chi-Chi.

 

Gohan read the lyrics:

 

“ _It's times like these you learn to live again._

_It's times like these you give and give again._

_It's times like these you learn to love again._

_It's times like these time and time again._

 

Thank you for the time, mom. Thank you for these amazing years, Orange Star High. Thanks to all the time sacrificed by our teachers, our coaches, our friends, and our family.

 

And _you_. It’s been a privilege for me to share this momentous time of our lives with you.

 

GO SHOOTING STARS!”

 

Gohan threw his cap, and the rest of his classmates jumped to their feet and cheered.

 

.

.

.

 

Bulma was smoothing over Gohan’s gown almost as if he was her son, she was so pleased and proud. Chi-Chi playfully elbowed the heiress away and hooked her arm around her eldest.

 

“Hey, you have to wait at least another ten years for your son’s moment, okay?” Chi-Chi teased. “You can’t have this one.”

 

“I’m like his second mom, lay off me,” Bulma insisted, hooking her arm around Gohan’s free one. “We’re a modern family, right?”

 

Gohan ducked his head shyly, not knowing what to say. Goku cheerfully took pictures as the women posed with Gohan.

 

“Stop embarrassing yourself woman, and let her have a photo with him alone,” Vegeta grumbled, pulling his wife away from the teen. “ _Our_ son’s already genius level. You probably only have _five_ years to wait for your turn.”

 

Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes at Vegeta’s _blatant_ _ly_ competitive statement, but Goku was already waving for her to pose with their son. She smiled and felt like her cheeks were hurting because she was smiling so wide.

 

Her boy, her baby boy, had turned out all right.

 

More than all right.

 

“Okay, now just the parents, and then we’ll add Goten and Papa Ox, so it’s an entire family shot,” Bulma said, already taking the camera from Goku.

 

“I’m proud of you son,” Goku said warmly as he posed beside him. “Also, kudos for sucking up big time to your mom. Guaranteed free meals and laundry for at least the next four years.”

 

Chi-Chi pursed her lips and playfully punched Goku.

 

“Like I wouldn’t have done that anyway,” Chi-Chi said.

 

Videl came by shortly with her father Mr. Satan who kept patting Gohan’s back enthusiastically but also really aggressively, talking about how they should be _safe_ and _behave_ for their graduation party.

 

Chi-Chi felt new tears fill as the teens said good-byes for the rest of the evening and her father took Goten — he was babysitting the boy to give Goku and Chi-Chi time to celebrate Gohan’s graduation alone.

 

“Now, it’s just us boring oldies,” Bulma lamented as people dispersed. Chi-Chi angled a wry gaze at Bulma, who had excitedly told her earlier in the day that one of the students had thought she was someone’s older college-age sister.

 

“Do you remember your after-grad?” Bulma went on, turning to both Chi-Chi and Goku.

 

“Mm, very well,” Goku said with a giant grin, causing Chi-Chi’s face to flame and her to elbow him sharply. “ _Ow!_ He takes after you. He’ll be good, he’ll be fine.”

 

“With all your dysfunction, it’s a miracle he’s coherent,” Vegeta said dryly.

 

“Like I said, he takes after Chi-Chi. I can’t take credit for any of that,” Goku said.

 

“That’s not true. You gave him all his charm,” Chi-Chi said affectionately, and pecked Goku lightly.

 

Vegeta made a retching sound and grimaced.

 

“Ever since you two reunited, it’s one disgusting display after another.”

 

“Nice hardware, by the way,” Bulma added, gesturing with her chin to Chi-Chi’s left hand resting against Goku’s chest. “We’ll have the reception at Capsule Corp, right?”

 

Chi-Chi’s cheeks darkened further while Goku laughed heartily. She was wearing her original wedding ring. She’d kept it all these years hidden in a small satchel, shoved in the back of her underwear drawer. She hadn’t the heart to get rid of it, sentimental fool she was.

 

She was glad she kept it.

 

“Ah, Bulma… we’re taking it slow,” Goku said. “We already rushed to the altar when we were nineteen. No need to rush now.”

 

“Really?” Chi-Chi was surprised when Vegeta interjected, his voice dripping with disbelief. “ _Wow_ , you really are an idiot. Still haven’t learned your lesson even after your son went on and on about time less than an hour ago.”

 

“Hey!” Chi-Chi protested in defense. “Goku’s not an idiot, stop it.”

 

“Seriously? Only a dumbass takes seven years to get the love of his life back,” Vegeta went on.

 

“Vegeta!” Bulma exclaimed sharply, flashing him an irritated look.

 

Chi-Chi flushed and she knew she should have been angry at Vegeta’s words but she was pleased to be called the love of Goku’s life.

 

Vegeta shook his head and waved his hand.

 

“No, this fucking farce has gone on _forever_. Kakarot, just seal the deal before this crazy harpy changes her mind,” Vegeta said flatly, with a wave.

 

Goku shifted on his feet uncomfortably, shrugging at Chi-Chi, who gave him a light squeeze.

 

“Ignore him. Let's just all go to the restaurant now,” Chi-Chi said, already walking to the parking lot. They were all meant to go out for dinner after Gohan’s ceremony.

 

“ _You’re unbelievable._ You say nothing for hours and when you do, you’re the worst. Shut up already,” Bulma hissed at Vegeta who looked even more irritated.

 

“So fucking ungrateful, you lot. If I hadn’t come up with the plan—”

 

Bulma abruptly pulled Vegeta aggressively by the arm and started to stomp away.

 

Chi-Chi simply rolled her eyes as she and Goku went into their own cars.

 

They were halfway to the restaurant when Chi-Chi frowned, remembering something Vegeta said before Bulma had dragged him away. She turned to Goku curiously.

 

“Hey, what did Vegeta mean by ‘plan?’”

 

At that, Goku looked rather stricken and swallowed. “Uh, well… nothing.”

 

Chi-Chi crossed her arms and glowered at him. “No secrets, remember?”

 

Goku flashed her a small look before turning his eyes back on the road. “Right. Fine.”

 

He said nothing further.

 

“I’m waiting!”

 

Goku ducked his head, as if trying to avoid being hit.

 

“Okay, okay… I told you that Vegeta’s a softie, right?” Goku began and she was fascinated to see his cheeks redden. “Anyway, um, last summer, remember when we all went to the beach?”

 

Chi-Chi nodded, suddenly remembering that Goku had a picture of her in his wallet from that time.

 

“Well, man, I don’t know… I went to a bar one night with Vegeta and kinda unloaded on him, I guess,” he said with an embarrassed sigh. “Told him how much I missed you. God, Chi, that yellow bikini…”

 

Chi-Chi blushed and her eyes crinkled. “Go on.”

 

“Anyway, I was having a… _very_ hard time, both literally and figuratively,” Goku laughed and winked at her, causing her blush to darken. “When Vegeta started yelling at me to get my act together. That if I still felt this way even after all this time to stop whining and uh, _do_ something about it.”

 

He chewed on his lip, his eyes back on the road. “But I pretty much thought that it was one sided, you know, that you didn’t think of me in _that_ way… or any way, which hurt.” He sighed. “Anyway, Vegeta told me that wasn’t an excuse and that there was only one way to find out.”

 

“So I don’t know, we’re Navy boys, we made a plan of action,” Goku said, laughing again at the memory. “It was really simple. I just needed to start flirting with you and see how you reacted.”

 

Chi-Chi’s eyes widened fractionally and her lips parted. “So it wasn’t in my head!”

 

Goku continued to chew his lip but he was smiling now. “I wasn’t really being subtle.”

 

“Wandering around shirtless, standing way too close, touching my butt, kissing me on the cheek… No, no you weren’t,” Chi-Chi said dryly.

 

Goku shrugged but looked totally unapologetic.

 

“But then maybe you were just being nice or maybe you were in a flirty mood but it meant nothing. I don’t know what your dating life was like and no, still don’t _want_ to know—” he added quickly, shaking his head. “Anyway, maybe you were just tolerating it, we were getting on better terms, anyway,” Goku went on. “I still wasn’t sure. So.”

 

He paused.

 

“Vegeta told me to test how you’d react by treating you like before.”

 

Chi-Chi gasped with realization. “ _The_ _clinic!_ ”

 

Goku worked his jaw, trying not to grin and failed. “You were so mad when I told everyone you weren’t my wife. You were _so mad_ at Dr. Chow…”

 

“You asshole!”

 

“Sorry. Actually, no I’m not,” he said immediately. “You were jealous and frankly, that made me insanely happy. It meant _some_ thing was there. I wasn’t just making it up in my mind, wishful thinking. So, I thought, maybe after all this time, I could… _we_ could try again.”

 

She saw his brow furrow as he continued.

 

“I didn’t want to scare you, though. So I thought, okay, maybe if we started spending more time together in the context of our family, you’d warm back up to me. Besides, it was really nice doing stuff together, having you over for lunch, things like that… even if you weren’t interested in me, it was good for the family — everyone — I think.”

 

“Yeah, it was,” Chi-Chi said softly.

 

“But I feel like that, um, photo shoot kinda confirmed that you were interested...”

 

Chi-Chi touched her warm cheeks and said nothing.

 

“… until I saw that stupid text from Lapis.”

 

Chi-Chi’s hand went to her eyes and she groaned. “Goku—”

 

“I mean, I wasn’t surprised, he’s always been interested in you—”

 

“What?” Chi-Chi was shocked. Lazuli always said, but she had thought she was _joking_.

 

Goku rolled his eyes.

 

“You’re kind of a catch, sweetheart,” he said with an amused grin. “Why’s that surprising?”

 

“I mean, we’re all friends… I never knew… I never thought of him in that way…”

 

“Then why’d you go out with him?” Goku still sounded rather annoyed by it.

 

“Because I thought I shouldn’t live my entire life as a sexless spinster,” Chi-Chi drawled. “And he was a _friend_. He was safe, you know? Not some stranger who might do who knows what.”

 

Goku sighed heavily. “Well, it drove me _nuts_. I couldn’t believe it, I was… anyway. You could’ve been dating ten guys and it would have been none of my business, I would have no say. We weren’t together, after all. It wasn’t fair of me to be mad at you.

 

I was pretty mad at myself, actually.

 

But, I don’t know. I guess something inside me said that we still had a chance, and dammit if I wasn’t going to fight for you.”

 

Chi-Chi felt her pulse leap at the quiet vehemence in his words.

 

“I mean, let the best man win, right? If you were happier with someone else, then so be it, but I had to try… I had to. I didn’t want to lose you when I felt like we were _so close_ to… getting in a good place again. And you’re worth it. You’re worth fighting for.”

 

She felt tears spring to her eyes.

 

“ _But_ , um, it was kinda _easy_ to get rid of Lapis, which made me real happy.” Goku laughed again. “Uh, then I guess I was going to still woo you for a bit, because I didn’t want to scare you away… but Vegeta convinced me to try to get you to bed ASAP.”

 

“Goku!”

 

He shrugged and winked at her.

 

“It worked though, right?”

 

Chi-Chi sunk deeper into her chair, and she wasn’t sure if she was mad or amused. “Hmph.”

 

“And that was the grand plan,” Goku said finally with a small laugh. “Try to get you to bed, really, at the end of the day.”

 

“It sounds like a plan Vegeta would come up with,” Chi-Chi said with a snort. She couldn’t really be mad. It wasn’t like she was coerced or tricked. And she was happy. “What I don’t understand is why _Vegeta_ of all people...”

 

Goku shrugged. “I guess because I talked to Bulma a little when they were having trouble. He thinks whatever I said helped. He hates feeling indebted with _anything_ , so this was… sort of his way to making things even with us, I guess. Though, he _really_ likes to shove it into my face that it took him ‘only’ a year to convince Bulma to drop the divorce while it took me _seven_ to get you back. I think our situation was a _liiiitle_ more complicated than his though, to be fair.”

 

“Huh,” Chi-Chi said, not knowing what else to say.

 

“But he’s right about a lot of things, though,” Goku said, with another angled glance, and she noticed it was a little nervous. “What _are_ we waiting for? Why are we going slow again? I think seven years is pretty glacial to me… especially since neither of us wanted to break up in the first place.”

 

Chi-Chi raised her brows. “What are you suggesting?”

 

Goku’s lips twitched, and his fingers flexed against the steering wheel. “Maybe we should seal the deal, like he said. Maybe we should just elope. We already had the big wedding.”

 

Chi-Chi’s heart raced. “Yeah?”

 

“Yeah, why not?” Goku smiled at her, but it was a little cautious. Still, even after all this, he seemed vulnerable about how she felt about him. “You’re my life. You always have been. And… we pretty much have been _acting_ married these past few months. Why not?”

 

Chi-Chi’s eyes filled with tears. “I love you.”

 

“Is that a yes?” Goku stretched the words out.

 

Chi-Chi swiped her cheeks.

 

“It will always be yes. Yes, please.”

 

.

.

.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awwwww, thank you everyone for going with me on this journey. Believe it or not, this was more-or-less freeform. I had a plot bunny, I ran to catch it, and this is what came out.
> 
> I've been writing fanfics since I was a teen, and this is the first time I've actually FINISHED a long piece. So yay! Thank you to all your amazing comments and kudos, it really helped me continue this piece. I'm glad you all felt invested in Goku and Chi-Chi and their little family.
> 
> I may or may not do the Vegeta/Bulma side of this. We'll see. ;-)


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